LA CASTIGLIONE (1837-1899) VIRGINIA OLDOÏNI COUNTESS OF CASTIGLIONE Archives of the mistress of Napoleon III

Virginia Oldoïni, Countess of Castiglione, better known as La Castiglione, was born to an aristocratic family from La Spezia. She was a 19th-century Italian aristocrat who achieved notoriety as a mistress of Emperor Napoleon III of France. She was also a significant figure in the early history of photography.