The face of prostitution past: Smothered in lipstick and rouge, the working girls who were cashing in on Canada’s ‘Sin City’ in WWII

Montreal was the center for sex during Prohibition in the U.S., when Americans would travel north to fulfil their illicit needs in Canada

The end of Prohibition as well as a rise in sexually transmitted disease saw police enforcing a crackdown on the prostitution industry, during which time these women were put behind bars

In the first half of the 20th Century, Montreal, Canada, was known as the sex tourism capital of North America. Now, a new set of archive images reveals the faces behind that seedy industry.

Recently unearthed mug shots from the Archives de la Ville de Montreal show the women who were arrested for prostitution and the madams who ran the brothels — commonplace in the Canadian city then known as a place of debauchery.

Aside from their heavily plucked eyebrows, curled hair and rouged lips, one thing these woman all seem to have in common is a marked air of mischief.

City of sin: The face of Mary Shepperd, who was arrested in connection with an investigation into prostitution, appears in a collection of 1940s mug shots from the Montreal archives. At the time, the Canadian city was a nightlife Mecca and famous for its brothels

Underground industry: Anna Labelle, aka Mrs Emile Beauchamp, was the most powerful madam in Montreal during World War II — then Canada's very own Sin City. Her clients were often the same policemen who arrested her

Perhaps their knowing looks had to do with the fact that many of the officers who arrested them were crooked cops who were also their very own clients.

In one image, madam Liliane Brown (aka Ida Katz), who was one of the three most prominent brothel owners in the era, grins slyly in her black cap and leopard print coat.

Another mug shot from the archives is that of Anna Labelle, known at the time as Mme Émile Beauchamp, the most powerful brothel owner in Second World War-era Montreal.

Mme Beauchamp — who shows off her freckled features and pencil-thin eyebrows in her mug shot — would reportedly arrive at the courthouse for her arrests in a Cadillac, her body wrapped in mink.

Selling sex: Madam Liliane Brown (aka Ida Katz), who was one of the three most prominent brothel owners in the era, grins slyly in her black cap and leopard print coat

Distinctive look: Irene Lavallée, arrested in connection with an investigation into prostitution, has the plucked brows, curled hair and dark painted lips that were considered fashionable in the early 1940s

Crackdown: Annie Parker, who was arrested in 1941 in connection with an investigation into prostitution, also features among the women pictured

Unimpressed: Jeanine Lebrun, a maid, was arrested on April 11, 1940 for keeping a brothel, part of a city-wide effort to crack down on a booming prostitution industry

According to Dangerous Minds, Montreal became a sex tourist destination after World War I and during Prohibition, when Americans would drive north to fulfill their illicit needs in Canada.

Not only did the city abound in drinking dens, brothels and gambling houses, but because of its architecture and the language spoken there, it was viewed as an extension of Europe, making it something of 'an exotic vacation.'

But following the end of Prohibition in 1933, as well as a sudden rise in cases of sexually transmitted disease, Montreal prostitutes lost their exotic allure and were instead seen as a force of corruption that needed to be stopped — publicly, at least.

Indeed, while raids were frequent and arrests were many in the 1940s, fines were low, and many prostitutes and brothel owners resumed business shortly after their handcuffs were taken off.
 

Local madam: Some addresses that were known to police as brothels were hit often. One such location was 1225 Bullion, a brothel kept by Fleurette Dubois. In her mug shot, Ms Dubois slouches and stares at the camera disinterestedly, her deep red lips, dark curls and pencil-thin eyebrows on display

Dual identity: Not all these women were prostitutes or madams in the traditional sense; one image is that of Blanche Martin, a servant who was arrested in May 1940 for owning a brothel

This was most likely another factor that contributed to the women's seeming nonchalance in their mug shots.

Some addresses that were known to police as brothels were hit often. One such location was 1225 Bullion, a brothel kept by Fleurette Dubois.

In her mug shot, Ms Dubois slouches and stares at the camera disinterestedly, her deep red lips, dark curls and pencil-thin eyebrows on display.

In May 1942, Ruby Taylor was also arrested at Ms Dubois' brothel as part of a police investigation into prostitution.

Hers is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating mug shots; in it, she bares her teeth in a knowing grin, the corners of her eyes crinkling with mild amusement.

Ready for her close-up: Ruby Taylor, who was arrested in 1942 as part of an investigation in connection with prostitution, is the only woman to smile at the camera. Perhaps her knowing look had to do with the fact that many of the officers who arrested the sex workers were crooked cops that were also clients
 

Busted: Gisèle Roy, who had an alias of Marie-Jeanne Lambert, was arrested for prostitution in 1941
 

Booming trade: Marguerite Smith was arrested several times between 1941 and 1943 for operating a brothel at 1225 Bullion

Arrested: Like Marguerite Smith, Madeleine Gagnon was also stopped at 1223 Bullion as part of an investigation in connection with prostitution

Some of the other women arrested in this era in relation to prostitution include stern-looking brunette Annie Parker and Mary Shepperd — a youthful woman with eyebrows drawn so far apart that they lend her an air of sadness.

Lina Tony was arrested in December 1941 for owning two brothels on the same road. In her mug shot, dark bags under her eyes and a masculine, disheveled haircut reveal the toll her profession has had on her appearance.

Not all these women were prostitutes or madams in the traditional sense; one image is that of Blanche Martin, a servant who was arrested in May 1940 for owning a brothel.

And Jeanine Lebrun, a maid, was arrested on April 11, 1940 for keeping a brothel, part of the city-wide effort to crack down on a booming prostitution industry.

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