“Garrements?” a confused tourist asks. Does the name Rue des Garrements whisper tales of Parisian life long past? Sadly, information about this specific street is scarce. We can explore the broader historical context of Parisian streets. We know that the authorities of medieval Paris tried to confine prostitution to specific districts.
Louis IX in the 13th century designated nine streets in the Beaubourg Quartier. Prostitution would be permitted there. Centuries later in the early 19th century state-controlled legal brothels appeared in French cities. They were called maisons de tolérance or maisons closes. By law a woman usually a former prostitute had to run them. Their outside appearance had to be discreet. These establishments had to light a red lantern when they were open. This is where the term red-light district comes from. The prostitutes could only leave the maisons on certain days. The head of the brothel had to accompany them. By 1810 Paris alone had 180 officially approved brothels.
Some Paris brothels became internationally known for their luxury in the first half of the 20th century. Le Chabanais and Le Sphinx were among them. However France outlawed brothels in 1946. This was after a campaign by Marthe Richard. At that time there were 1500 of them across the country. 177 were in Paris alone. The backlash against them was partly because of their wartime collaboration with the Germans. During the occupation of France twenty-two Paris brothels had been commandeered by the Germans for their exclusive use. Some made a great deal of money by catering to German officers and soldiers. One brothel in Montmartre was part of an escape network for POWs and shot-down airmen.
Le Chabanais was one of the most famous and luxurious brothels. It operated near the Louvre at 12 rue Chabanais from 1878 until 1946. Madame Kelly founded it. She was closely acquainted with several members at the Jockey-Club de Paris. Edward VII Prince of Wales and Toulouse-Lautrec were among the habitués. Cary Grant Humphrey Bogart and Mae West visited it too. Diplomatic guests of the French government also frequented Le Chabanais. The brothel appeared in the Nouveau Larousse illustré encyclopaedia of 1904. Madame Kelly sold shares in the profitable business to wealthy anonymous investors. The total cost of the establishment was about 1.7 million francs. The entrance hall was designed as a bare stone cave. The bedrooms were lavishly decorated many in their own style. Moorish Hindu Japanese Pompeii and Louis XVI were some of the styles. The Japanese room won a design prize at the 1900 World Fair in Paris.
Another famous maison close was La Fleur blanche. It was located at 6 rue des Moulins in the 1st Arrondissement. The property was also known as rue des Moulins. It was famous for its torture room. Kings crown princes members of the aristocracy and numerous heads of state were its clientele. Each of its lavish bedrooms had its own theme. Toulouse-Lautrec frequented La Fleur blanche. He was called The Coffee Pot by the girls due to his small size.
L’Étoile de Kléber was a maison close that continued to run secretly after the 1946 ban. It was located at 4 Rue Paul-Valéry in the 16th Arrondissement. Aline Soccodato known as Madame Billy founded and managed it. King Farouk and Maurice Chevalier were clients. During the German occupation German army officers and members of the French Gestapo were customers. After the war allied officers frequented L’Étoile de Kléber. The Soccodatos had hidden escaped British military resistance fighters and Jews. They forwarded encrypted messages to the French Resistance.
These glimpses into Parisian brothels offer a sense of the city’s complex social history. Rue des Garrements may have its own unique stories waiting to be discovered.