The Duel That Wasn't

Photo reconstruction of the famous duel between Princess Pauline Metternich and Countess Kielmannsegg, chaired by Pavel Kurmilev Baronne Lubinska

Cool picture, girls taking bitchiness to the next level, but it's a reconstruction of an imaginary event. So, historical fiction.

Wikipedia has this to say about Princess Pauline:

Pauline Clémentine Marie Walburga, Princess of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (1836 – 1921) was a famous Austrian socialite, mainly active in Vienna and Paris. Known for her great charm and elegance as well as for her social commitment, she was an important promoter of the work of the German composer Richard Wagner and the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. She was also instrumental to the creation of the haute couture industry.

. . . 

It is claimed that in August 1892 Pauline took part in a sword duel with Countess Anastasia von Kielmannsegg. The disagreement supposedly stemmed from a dispute over a floral arrangement at the Vienna Musical and Theatre Exposition, of which the nobles were honorary president and president of the exhibition, respectively. The supposed duel involved the participants stripping to the waist to reduce the risk of a wound becoming infected; the image of two topless nobles captured the imagination of artists and scandalized Victorians. However there are no primary sources for the story, only accounts from foreign newspapers; furthermore, not long after the first accounts were published, a French newspaper printed a denial by the Princess, in which she calls the story a "ridiculous invention by Italian journalists".

More pics here.

Via Liberalguy