Charpentier was the daughter of Jérôme François Charpentier, a lemonade-maker and, from 1773, owner of the Café Parnasse or Café de l'École, located at the current site of La Samaritaine, in Paris.
La Samaritaine featured in the 1991 film Les Amants du Pont-Neuf and part of the 2012 film Holy Motors is set in an around the shell of the building; both directed by Leos Carax.