Courtesans
	Lower Class Prostitutes

Literary Representations Hugo Balzac Lorettes and society Lower Class Prostitutes and the Law Representations in Les Miserables Realities of Authority in Paris Brothels and Streetwalkers The Privileged Class: Courtesans Defining the courtesan Visual representations Courtesans in reality   Bibliogrpahy

The Registration of Prostitutes   With the study of brothel working prostitutes versus streetwalkers, it is essential that we understand not only the difference between thesewomen's roles in society and their roles under the broad category of prostitutes, but also the difference between registered and unregistered prostitutes. I stated earlier that a strict set of regulations was imposed against unregistered prostitutes, and against any form of prostitute being in certain areas of Paris at certain times. But what difference did registration make to authority figures, and the prostitutes themselves?     Alexandre Parent-Duchatelet conducted a famous study of prostitution in Paris in the 19th century. In this study, he described specifically the registration process for prostitutes. Parent-Duchatelet noted that there were three categories of prostitutes who were registered:   1. "Those who present themselves and request registration" 2. "Others who are registered by a mistress of a brothel" 3. "There are some which the inspectors arrest and which the office registers." Registering as a prostitute was a relatively simple process. According to Parent-Duchatelet, the prostitutes underwent an interrogation by the Bureau of Information and the inspectors. The registration would begin with plain biographical facts (name, age, place of birth, etc.) The prostitutes were then asked the following questions: If she is married, widowed or celibate? If her maother and father are living and what they do {for a living}? If she lives with them, how long has she been separated from them, and for what reasons did she leave them? If she has children, and if she has kept them? How long she has lived in Paris? If someone could have taken her to Paris? (Who accompanied her?) If she was arrested, how many times was she, and for what reasons? If she already practiced as a prostitute somewhere, and how long she has done this? If she currently has or already had one or several venereal diseases? If she recieved some form of education? For what reasons was she registering? Directly following this, the prostitute's responses to these question were written down, and a health examination performed. If these two things were acceptable, the prostitue beceam registered. And so, the question arises, if it was seemingly so simple to be registered as a prostitute during this time in Paris, why was there still a huge amount of unregistered prostitutes? I would argue that since prostitution was a profession unlike any other, with such a megative stigma placed upon it, many women felt ashamed to admit they were prostitutes. Perhaps, like Fantine, they felt they had surrendered their last shred of modesty and decency out of hunger, poverty and desperation. It is probable for the large number of women who went into prostitution because they had no nother choice, that registering would the final nail in the coffin for their futures. It is also possible that some women felt that they could make more money as an unregistered prostitute. To get a look into the lives of unregistered prostitutes, or streetwalkers, click here!