Anna de Noailles (1876–1933)

Princess Anna Elisabeth Bibesco-Bassaraba de Brancovan was born in Paris of aristocratic Rumanian-Greek ancestry. In 1897, she married comte Mathieu Fernand de Noailles, a son of the duc de Noailles. The couple soon became the toast of Parisian elite society. She established a salon that was frequented by many of the famous literary and artistic figure of the Belle Époque: her friends included Marcel Proust, Colette, Paul Valéry, and Jean Cocteau. Anna de Noailles wrote three novels, an autobiography, and many collections of poetry. She was so popular that many notable artists painted her portrait and Auguste Rodin sculpted her image. She was the first woman to be named a Commander of the Légion d'Honneur and the first woman to be received into the Royal Belgian Academy of French Language and Literature. She was honored with the "Grand Prix" of the Académie française in 1921.