Presenting her research at the Ides of August, history professor Michelle Rhoades shared the work she's done in French police archives to uncover new information on the lives of prostitutes during World War I.
Dispelling the myth that French prostitutes were passive agents of state regulations, Rhoades' careful research has discovered a number of women who were not only savvy in business, but both used and manipulated the system to great advantage.
Rhoades is challenged in her work by the lack of personal diaries, manuscripts, or letters. She's focused on obtaining police reports, economic data, and medical information. The system of prostitution during the period from 1914 to 1918 shaped police response tactics, boosted military masculinity, and focused attention on national healthcare.
According to Rhoades, many successful brothel owners manipulated the French regulatory system for prostitution to build business and eliminate competition. Letters she's found in police archives indicate that competition between brothels was fierce; many of the letters of complaint filed with police were sent by competing brothels. The absence of French national law gave local police and mayors the ability to regulate prostitution locally; those prostitutes who knew how to beat the system thrived.
"A good relationship with police was critical to the financial success of a brothel," said Rhoades. Some brothel owners earned enough money during the war to retire comfortably at the end of the war.
Rhoades research "reveals many French madames were not passive agents of state regulations. They were savvy business women who both manipulated and worked within the system, using regulation to improve their financial success."