Dinner for two

Nice, 1958. Sexual rivalries between women during the 20th century were largely carried out in secret. However, this small number of potential opponents also meant that duels at the time could hardly be surpassed in terms of psychological intensity. Every fight had to be savored to the last. A tribadic test of strength could easily take several nights until one combatant finally gave up. In a hotel on the Côte d’Azur, the aristocrat Marie d’Orléans met the Greek actress Irene Nikolaidou. They felt nothing but antipathy and sexual desire for each other since they met at a gala in Venice. Over a cigarette, as was customary at the time, a glass of cognac and with bare breasts, they discussed the rules for their meeting. The first provocations were exchanged in order to create a sexually tense atmosphere. Ultimately, the two rival ladies withdrew to a large, luxurious room for an indefinite period and locked the door behind them.