Among her prized possessions is a set of lamps of a kind used in French brothels in the early 20th century, made of pheasant feathers.
Assembled by the French producer Michel Reilhac, the feature, which opens today in Manhattan, consists of 11 shorts, most apparently shown in their entirety, that were made for use in French brothels between 1905 and 1930.
And earlier, in the late 19th century, West 39th Street was so well known for its French brothels that it was dubbed "Soubrette Row"; at least that is what I found on timessquare.com, which went on to note that "French prostitutes were notorious for having no limits; they would do anything and everything for the right price".
Are people hanging out in French brothels circa 1490?
Done wrong, and it looks like a French Quarter brothel.
— — — — House Of Pleasures Directed By Bertrand Bonello The French term for brothel is "maison close" — literally closed house — and Bertrand Bonello's "House of Pleasures," a sumptuous drama about the lives of courtesans in fin de siècle Paris, takes this expression at face value by unfolding almost entirely within the upholstered walls of an upscale bordello called L'Apollonide.
Several singers were drilled in this one-note conception of comic acting, including Julian Patrick as the iron-handed general of Santa Maria; Richard Adams as Leslie Jones, the arms merchant; Jason Ferrante as a sniveling presidential aide; and Jennifer Granville as a brothel madam with French airs.
Storyville, of course, was the city's red-light district, two blocks from the French Quarter and home to brothels and gambling dens (skillfully conjured by the scenic designer James Morgan with sepia wall photographs by E. J. Bellocq).
Mr Holmes links the emphasis on masculine virtues with the staggering impact of venereal diseases on troops, which led the French to set up licensed brothels to cut down on casualties.
