it was no secret that about the year 1820 pierre took a quadroon mistress in new orleans , an exquisite young woman who might have passed for white , according to the gossip by her pierre had two children , a daughter who went north and passed into the white race , and a son , francois , born in 1825 , who remained in louisiana and later handled substantial amounts of paperwork for the family in new orleans a genteel clerk , he seems to have been thought of affectionately by the white mayfairs , especially the men who came into town to conduct business everyone in the family apparently adored marguerite when she was ten years old , her portrait was painted , showing her wearing the famous emerald necklace this is an odd picture , because the child is small and the necklace is large as of 1927 , the picture was hanging on a wall in the first street house in new orleans marguerite was delicate of build , with dark hair and large slightly upturned black eyes she was considered a beauty , and called la petite gypsy by her nurses , who loved to brush her long black wavy hair unlike her feebleminded sister and her compliant brother , she had a fierce temper and a violent and unpredictable sense of humor .