By . Lucy Waterlow . In terms of her fame, Fanny Murray could be described as the Kim Kardashian of her day. Women coveted her curvaceous figure and fashion sense while men lusted after her beauty and wit. She was painted, gossiped about and inspired the character Fanny Hill in John Cleland's scandalous novel, Memoirs Of A Woman Of Pleasure. But while Kim Kardashian rose to fame through reality TV, Fanny's notoriety was thanks to her salacious career -  she was Britain's most desired courtesan. Beauty: Women wanted to copy Fanny's style while men lusted after her . Her lovers included some of the 18th century's most noble and rich men, including The Earl of Sandwich, the Baronet of Clapham and the Honourable John Spencer - an ancestor of Princess Diana. She was even rumoured to have counted royalty among her many conquests. Now Fanny's 'classic tale of rags to riches' is being revealed in a new book by Barbara White. In her biography, Queen of the Courtesans, White explains how Fanny was born into a poor family in Bath in 1729. She became a flower-seller to help support her family but it seemed by the age of 13, her beauty had captured people's attention and she then started selling 'a lot more than just posies'. Whether her family were aware and condoned her activities was unclear but 'by the age of 15, she was to become Bath's most valuable export to London's sex trade.' Inspiration: The character Fanny Hill in John Cleland's Memoirs Of A Woman Of Pleasure (which as been dramatised by the BBC as pictured) was thought to be based on Fanny Murray . She became the 'personification of glamour and excess' and her 'voluumptous figure drove men wild with desire'. Although she wasn't a traditional beauty, she was famed for her pretty face and her cleavage, with her breasts once described by one of her many admirers as 'orbs of snowy whiteness'. In the book, White describes Fanny as 'a phenomenon in her own time' and 'the supremely successful courtesan of her day.' She was the 'toast of the town' and her sexual prowess was highly sought after by the wealthiest men. She was known to have been 'chased by princes' including King George II's son Prince William - but White writes that evidence of whether . they actually became lovers is rare. What is well-documented is how much of a celebrity Fanny became. Pin up: Men would carry prints and engravings of her while those rich enough had her portrait painted . Queen of the courtesans: Barbara White has written about Fanny's incredible life . White writes how 'reputable women could not receive her in company yet they aped her fashion sense, and male admirers bought pin ups of her in the form of mezzotints (a form of printed image) and engravings.' As well her her beauty and sex life, Fanny also became famed for her spirited personality. Most famously, she once humiliated Sir Robert Atkins when he offered to pay her £20 (about £2,400 today), telling him: 'Damn your twenty pound! What does it signify?' She then put the note between two slices of bread and ate it as a sandwich. White writes that this 'represented the kind of breathtaking bravado that every courtesan wishes she had thought of first'. But after eight years of notoriety, Fanny then settled down by marrying the Scottish actor David Ross and reinvented herself as a dutiful spouse. However, White notes that Fanny's mid-life change of character did nothing to alter the way she went down in history, concluding: 'She's remembered not as a faithful wife of twenty years standing but as a symbol of promiscuity and immortality.' Queen of the Courtesans by Barbara White, was published this month by The History Press .
Fanny Murray was 18th century celebrity .
Women coveted her curvaceous figure and fashion sense .
Men lusted after her beauty and wit .
Became a mistress to numerous aristocrats .
Her lovers were rumoured to include royalty .
Salacious story now told in new book .
By . Lucy Waterlow . In terms of her fame, Fanny Murray could be described as the Kim Kardashian of her day. Women coveted her curvaceous figure and fashion sense while men lusted after her beauty and wit. She was painted, gossiped about and inspired the character Fanny Hill in John Cleland's scandalous novel, Memoirs Of A Woman Of Pleasure. But while Kim Kardashian rose to fame through reality TV, Fanny's notoriety was thanks to her salacious career -  she was Britain's most desired courtesan. Beauty: Women wanted to copy Fanny's style while men lusted after her . Her lovers included some of the 18th century's most noble and rich men, including The Earl of Sandwich, the Baronet of Clapham and the Honourable John Spencer - an ancestor of Princess Diana. She was even rumoured to have counted royalty among her many conquests. Now Fanny's 'classic tale of rags to riches' is being revealed in a new book by Barbara White. In her biography, Queen of the Courtesans, White explains how Fanny was born into a poor family in Bath in 1729. She became a flower-seller to help support her family but it seemed by the age of 13, her beauty had captured people's attention and she then started selling 'a lot more than just posies'. Whether her family were aware and condoned her activities was unclear but 'by the age of 15, she was to become Bath's most valuable export to London's sex trade.' Inspiration: The character Fanny Hill in John Cleland's Memoirs Of A Woman Of Pleasure (which as been dramatised by the BBC as pictured) was thought to be based on Fanny Murray . She became the 'personification of glamour and excess' and her 'voluumptous figure drove men wild with desire'. Although she wasn't a traditional beauty, she was famed for her pretty face and her cleavage, with her breasts once described by one of her many admirers as 'orbs of snowy whiteness'. In the book, White describes Fanny as 'a phenomenon in her own time' and 'the supremely successful courtesan of her day.' She was the 'toast of the town' and her sexual prowess was highly sought after by the wealthiest men. She was known to have been 'chased by princes' including King George II's son Prince William - but White writes that evidence of whether . they actually became lovers is rare. What is well-documented is how much of a celebrity Fanny became. Pin up: Men would carry prints and engravings of her while those rich enough had her portrait painted . Queen of the courtesans: Barbara White has written about Fanny's incredible life . White writes how 'reputable women could not receive her in company yet they aped her fashion sense, and male admirers bought pin ups of her in the form of mezzotints (a form of printed image) and engravings.' As well her her beauty and sex life, Fanny also became famed for her spirited personality. Most famously, she once humiliated Sir Robert Atkins when he offered to pay her £20 (about £2,400 today), telling him: 'Damn your twenty pound! What does it signify?' She then put the note between two slices of bread and ate it as a sandwich. White writes that this 'represented the kind of breathtaking bravado that every courtesan wishes she had thought of first'. But after eight years of notoriety, Fanny then settled down by marrying the Scottish actor David Ross and reinvented herself as a dutiful spouse. However, White notes that Fanny's mid-life change of character did nothing to alter the way she went down in history, concluding: 'She's remembered not as a faithful wife of twenty years standing but as a symbol of promiscuity and immortality.' Queen of the Courtesans by Barbara White, was published this month by The History Press .
of her day. Women coveted her curvaceous figure and fashion sense while men lusted after her beauty and wit. She was painted, gossiped about Diana. She was even rumoured to have counted revealed in a new book by Barbara White. In her Fanny Murray . She became the 'personification of