Hilma Burt (sometimes misspelled ''Helma'' or ''Hilda'' ''Burthe'' or ''Burtte'') was a
brothel madam in
Storyville,
during the early twentieth century. This area, originally known as "The District", permitted
legalized prostitution from 1897 to 1917 and became possibly the best known area for prostitution in the nation.
Brothel
Burt was mistress to political boss and 4th Ward Representative to the
State Legislature (1904-1920),
Tom Anderson
Thomas Anderson (born November 8, 1970) is an American technology entrepreneur and co-founder of the social networking website Myspace, which he founded in 2003 with Chris DeWolfe. He was later president of Myspace and a strategic advis ...
. Burt had replaced fellow brothel madam
Josie Arlington
Josie Arlington (1864 – February 14, 1914) was a brothel madam in the Storyville district of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Early life
Arlington was born Mary Deubler in New Orleans to German parents. as Anderson's mistress. It is said that Anderson helped Burt finance her purchase of ''Flo Meeker's Place'' in
Basin Street Basin Street or Rue Bassin in French, is a street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It parallels Rampart Street one block lakeside, or inland, from the boundary of the French Quarter, running from Canal Street down 5 blocks past Saint Louis Cemetery. It ...
. The brothel was located at no. 209, next door to Anderson's establishment, the Fair Play Saloon.
The brothel, a three-story stone building, was one of the most luxurious in the area. It was known for its mirrored ballroom, with a
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
on which musicians played. The ladies of the house, dressed in
ball gown
A ball gown, ballgown or gown is a type of evening gown worn to a ball or a formal event. Most versions are cut off the shoulder with a low décolletage, exposed arms, and long bouffant styled skirts. Such gowns are typically worn with an opera ...
s, were introduced to the clients in this room. At the rear was a parlour where the more important clients were entertained. The house had an opulent library with hand bound rare editions and a collection of international
erotica
Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use ...
.
Burt had strict rules that the women working there had to follow. Swearing, smoking, and heavy drinking were forbidden, with fines of $5 for each curse word and $10 for getting drunk. The brothel became busy after 10 pm. By midnight on a good night, there were twelve to twenty clients in the parlours, and by 2 am, all the bedrooms would be occupied with other clients waiting.
In the early 1900s, a Blue Book could be purchased for 25 cents. Blue Books were created for tourists and those unfamiliar with this area of New Orleans and contained, in alphabetical order, the names of all the prostitutes of Storyville. Landladies would be identified in bold font and information about popular houses, including interior and exterior pictures, was included. In the 1909 edition, Burt's house was described as "a palace second to none".
The grandeur of the brothel faded over the years and it finally shut down when the district was closed in 1917.
Jelly Roll Morton
The
composer and
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Morton was jazz's first arranger, proving that a gen ...
was employed by Burt, while still a youth, to entertain customers. The customers would tip the piano player and Morton considered it a bad night if he received less than a hundred dollars in tips.
Pretty Baby
The plot of the 1978
Louis Malle
Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down," Malle's filmogr ...
film
Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to:
* ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake
* ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields
** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...
, starring
Brooke Shields,
Keith Carradine
Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film ''Nashville'', Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series '' Deadwood ...
and
Susan Sarandon
Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...
, was based on the life of Violet, a "trick baby" (fathered by a client), who was born in the attic of Burt's house.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Hilma
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
Businesspeople from New Orleans
American brothel owners and madams