Why was La traviata originally performed in an earlier historical setting?

Although Giuseppe Verdi was adamant that La traviata be set in the contemporary 1850s to reflect its intimate, bourgeois nature, opera companies refused to comply with his vision.1

The decision to force the opera into an earlier historical setting—specifically the early 18th century—was driven by the conservative conventions of the time. Because the story featured a "fallen woman" as the protagonist, the subject matter was considered risqué and scandalous. By moving the setting to the past, companies attempted to distance the production from the immediate, provocative reality of the source material, Alexandre Dumas fils’s La Dame aux camélias, which had recently caused a public stir in Paris.12

Verdi’s insistence on modern costumes and a present-day setting was a deliberate break from operatic tradition, which typically favored heroic or noble themes. It was not until 1906, long after the composer's death, that the opera was finally performed in the contemporary setting he had originally specified.1