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The brothels of Paris: where high society took its leisure

Maud
Paris 01
Languages : "french", "english", "spanish"

Art historian on La Belle Epoque

Maud is a graduate of the Ecole du Louvre, has a Master's in Art History from the Sorbonne, and a Master's in Management of Cultural and Social Centers from the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers in Paris (CNAM).

She loves to share the history of the mythical Paris brothels, and stories of the life that took place behind their closed doors. Also an expert on the cinema and literature of the City of Paris and Versailles, she draws on this medium to to bring this era to life.

A designer of experiences for museums and TV channels

Maud has desi…

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They way she tells a story.

Her smile.

Her passion for the arts and the history of Paris.

Her gentleness and generosity.

I love bringing history to life, drawing from history, the arts, and personal accounts to create a complete picture.

I love to meet and share laughter with curious and passionate people.

 

Duration
Duration
2h
Location
Location
Paris
Group
Group size
2 - 8 p.
Informations
Practical information
170€ per person Book now Give a gift

A unique peek at the Paris brothels with an art historian

Maud invites you to join her for... 

- a private tour of iconic brothel locations that marked the early 20th century in the 1st and 2ndarrondissements of Paris

- a history of the most notorious and extravagant brothels of Paris

- an exploration of architectural trends and interior design of the Golden Twenties through images and archives

- a bite to eat at a chic Paris bistro that was once the grandest brothel of Europe under Napoléon III

History of the Paris brothels

Step with me into the dusky, perfumed boudoirs of the historic brothels of Paris...

An integral part of life and the city, the Parisian brothels were very fashionable pleasure palaces, where high society gathered to socialize. Many famous artists, including Toulouse-Lautrec, lived in these brothels, which occupied magnificent 17th - and 18th-century mansions.

Famous Paris brothels and architecture

These houses of (not so very) ill repute left their mark on an entire society and era. Closed by the government in 1946, they have always been romanticized in literature and painting. Today, there remain only the facades of these houses, which have all been preserved, while the interiors have been transformed. Nonetheless, here and there, you can still find traces of their former glory – and notoriety.

Life in the brothel

I will share the history of the best known and most extravagant of these places, which were discreetly tucked among bourgeois homes. I will retrace their history and tell you about the famous people who frequented them, from Edward VII to Marlene Dietrich. I will show you how every house tried to outdo its rivals through fanciful and exotic decor and inventive amenities, such as the Hindu bedroom, the "pleasure chair" and the champagne bath...

Focusing on a few locations with particularly colorful histories, I will talk to you about life in the brothel, and illustrate my story with a selection of historical archives and drawings.

Have a drink in the grandest pleasure palace in Europe

Our experience will take place over tea in one of the oldest brothels, the grandest establishment of its kind under Napoleon III. A hundred years later, the walls have not changed much. The building's decor, despite touches of modernity, still tell a fascinating story.

Paris in a day? I invite you to spend 2 hours for a journey into this most mythical of worlds.

Beyond the brothels, you join a cultural and historical private tour on La Belle Epoque, Paris architecture and decoration and French art de vivre.

Maud