Let's start with a set of data. In 1839, according to the London Commission for the Eradication of Vices, there were 80,000 prostitutes in London. There was a time when Vienna became the "sex capital" of Europe, and in the 1820s there were 20,000 prostitutes out of 400,000 people, with an average of one prostitute per seventh man. And the craziest is France. By the 1860s, the number of prostitutes in Paris was nearly 120,000.
Yes, this was the case with the golden age of prostitution in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, and historical records have recorded a lot of customs in this era, whether it is low-end street prostitutes or high-end social flower prostitutes, who have their own customer groups in society.
When it comes to prostitution in Paris, it is necessary to say "Montmartre". It is home to many nightclubs and moons, such as the Moulin Rouge, the Pancake Mill (Moulin de la Galette) and the Chat-noir nightclub, where there are countless beautiful girls, endless dances, endless drinks and coffees, and endless hustle and bustle and hormones that last until late at night.
Renoir's Ball at the Pancake Mill
Lautrec's Ball at the Moulin Rouge
Degas's Absinthe, the woman on the left who drinks spirits early in the morning, is a prostitute who has just had a spring supper with her guests.
Van Gogh's "Sorrow", the prostitute Xi Yan.
Hemingway said that if you were fortunate enough to live in Paris when you were young, she would be with you wherever you went for the rest of your life, because Paris is a feast of flow.
In the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, paris, as a "perfect modern" city, what kind of drama was staged in the city as a prostitute group living in it? In the works of painters of the same period, they appear in various guises.
Manet, Nana, 1877
What looks more moist is that there is This high-level social flower Nana in Manet's painting, and the mansion in the painting is the gentleman in black who only shows a half-cut face on the right side. You see Nana's skin is gelatinous, her complexion is good, and she is dressed in the most fashionable clothes at that time, so that people can't imagine her poor bottom origin before she started. However, it was the maintenance of high-class prostitutes in Paris at that time that allowed countless beautiful poor girls to step into the upper social circle with half a foot.
At this moment, Nana is wearing a chinese dress and smearing in front of the mirror. What is she going to do? Perhaps the answer can be found in Xiao Yu's other book, "Life Hidden in Famous Paintings":
In Belle Époque Paris, high-class socialites are invited to banquets and entertainment in various forms, which is the essence of Parisian social scene. The annual Paris Opera Ball is the most popular masquerade ball in Paris, where people watch opera, dance and socialize. Here, you'll rub shoulders with the most famous people of Paris, weaving past actors, celebrities and foreigners of all colours.
Henri Gervais, The Ball at the Paris Opera, 1886
In the Montmartre region, the most frequent place for socialites should be regarded as the Moulin Rouge. Among the Impressionist painters, there was a painter who had been wandering in the Moulin Rouge for many years and painted the sound and color of the dogs and horses here: Lautrec. This aristocratic man, who has been disabled like a dwarf since childhood, has a crazy love to express one theme, that is, the dancers of the Moulin Rouge cabaret show. Someone commented: "Today, it is difficult to find a geek who has created such a shocking masterpiece based on the subject of a prostitute." As a result, Lautrec was known as the "Soul of Montmartre."
Lautrec, Self-Portrait in front of the Mirror, 1882
In his paintings, there are dancers dancing the Kang Kang dance with their legs upturned high at the ball at the Moulin Rouge. They followed the rhythm of the feverish music, twisting their plump and attractive waists and hips, and the straight thighs that were about to kick to the ceiling, exposing the spring light under the skirt. Funny singer Yvette Gilbe, dream dancer Louis Fowler, Concorne queen Jenny Affle... These famous Moulin Rouge dancers at that time appeared in Lautrec's paintings. Pushed by the assistants of alcohol and night, the dancers danced vigorously and the guests had fun.
Lautrec, Dancing at the Moulin Rouge, 1889-1890
Lautrec, Yvette Gilbee Greets the Audience, 1894
Those who come to the Moulin Rouge to have fun are some literary and artistic figures with heads and faces in society. For example, the characters in the Moulin Rouge painting can be named: on the right side of the exposed half of the light is the dancer Milton, and at the far round table sits photographerSescao and Gibbert, the dancer Carona, and the critic Dujaden. They are regular customers of the Moulin Rouge.
Lautrec, The Moulin Rouge, 1892
Lautrec's paintings,
We'll continue in the next issue.