42 Paintings, Streets of Paris, The Courtesans of Paris, as portrayed by the Artists from 1850-1910 – Behind the Scenes, with footnotes #77

Soliciting was prohibited in broad daylight, but was legal for registered girls at nightfall when the streetlamps were lit. This coincided with knocking-off time for women in the workshops in which some occasional prostitutes were employed. Prostitutes may have cultivated an air of ambiguity during the day, but their appearance gradually changed as the urban landscape, illuminated by gas lamps and later by electricity, was transformed. More on Soliciting

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