Marquise de Pompadour
Pompadour, Marquise de (1721–1764), a politically influential mistress of King Louis XV of France. She became Louis' mistress in 1745 and received the title Marquise de Pompadour. Their affair ended in 1751, but she remained an important member of the royal court, advising the king on political matters. Madame de Pompadour was a patron of arts and letters and greatly influenced fashion. The pompadour hair style is named for her.
Madame de Pompadour was born Jeanne Antoinette Poisson. Her marriage to Lenormand d'Etoiles, a financier whose family had aristocratic acquaintances, gained her access to royal society. She was appointed lady-in-waiting to the queen in 1756.