![](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/S9fE6Tar6cn8b3--miYDO6JQEac=/0x43:2000x1085/1200x625/media/img/mt/2024/07/2Marys/original.png)
The Two Marys
On New Year’s Day in 1772, peace in Europe depended on whether a princess would lower herself to speak to a courtesan. The princess was Marie Antoinette, and the courtesan was Madame du Barry, who had become the official mistress of Marie Antoinette’s …