Born: 11 March 1726, France
Died: 17 April 1783
Country most active: France
Also known as: Louise Florence Pétronille Tardieu d’Esclavelles d’Épinay
From Famous Women: An Outline of Feminine Achievement Through the Ages With Life Stories of Five Hundred Noted Women. Written by Joseph Adelman, published 1926 by Ellis M Lonow Company:
Louise d’Epinay, a French writer, friend of noted literary men, among them Diderot, D’Alembert and Voltaire.
She formed an acquaintance with Rousseau which lasted several years, and his devotion to this fascinating and accomplished woman is described in his Confessions.
Her most celebrated work is Les Conversations d’Emilie, in which she sets forth the principles of moral instruction for children, with equal elegance and depth of thought.
Her Memoirs and Correspondence give a true picture of the refined but corrupt manners which prevailed among the higher classes in France during the reign of Louis XV.