Life inside the brothels of Paris was a subject that fascinated nineteenth-century artists. Les maisons closes—closed houses—provided legally sanctioned spaces for the practice of prostitution within city limits. Artists like Degas composed intimate scenes set in maisons closes, and also recorded studio models in private moments, creating images that ranged from sensitive to salacious. Toulouse-Lautrec paid extended visits to the maisons of Montmartre, making candid portraits of the occupants, who were often his friends. His 1896 album Elles ("Them," or "Those women") was a technically innovative series of prints depicting these women's lives. Their purpose is uncertain; some of the images are drawn with sympathy and tenderness, while others are voyeuristic and almost cruel.
