Bordello 1880 - 1886

Curator: This is Jean-Louis Forain's "Bordello," a small etching now residing in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s intimate, almost claustrophobic, rendered in these quick, nervous lines. I feel like I’m eavesdropping on a private, perhaps uneasy, gathering. Curator: Forain, working in late 19th-century Paris, often depicted the city's underbelly. This piece, like many others, offers a glimpse into the lives of sex workers. Editor: The composition places us right at the table, confronting the gaze of the woman on the left. What does it mean for us, the viewers, to be put in this position? Curator: Forain's work circulated widely through illustrated journals, shaping public perceptions. He straddled the line between social commentary and sensationalism, reflecting and reinforcing societal attitudes. Editor: It makes you wonder, what stories are being told here, and more importantly, who gets to tell them? Curator: An important question, and a reminder that images like this were powerful tools in shaping understandings of gender, class, and morality. Editor: Exactly. It's more than just a slice of life. It's a reflection of the power dynamics inherent in viewing and being viewed.