Madams of Melbourne

The Little Lon district of Melbourne was host to many madams, brothels and bordellos during the 1890s. Madame Brussels (1851-1908) provided three of the longest lasting brothels near Melbourne's parliamentary buildings. She is commemorated in street names and the Madame Brussels Bar. Her rival, Annie Wilson, and smaller owners such as Mary Williams and Alicia Bond have come to light due to archaecological digs of latrines in Melbourne.

Sources:

Sarah Matthews, "On the Shick in Little Lon", State Library of Victoria, https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/such-was-life/on-the-shick-in-little-lon/

Sarah Hayes and Barbara Minchinton, "Sex and the sisterhood", ABCNews, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-14/sex-work-in-19th-century-melbourne-what-rubbish-can-tell-us/9430592

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