The Lanterne Verte ''(Fr. Green Lantern)'' was a

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

in Paris. It was located on the corner of Rue de Chartres and Rue de la Goutte d'Or in the

Goutte d'Or The Goutte d'Or (, ''Drop of Gold'') is a neighbourhood in Paris, located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The neighbourhood has large numbers of North African and sub-Saharan residents. It is known for its open-air market, ''le marché Deje ...

district in the

18th arrondissement The 18th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''dix-huitième''. The arrondis ...

, and was one of the more moderate brothels of Paris. The unusual thing about this brothel was that it had no rooms. The writer and poet Sylvain Bonmariage describes it in his book ''Gagneuses'' as follows:

''"The Lanterne Verte was a brothel; it was declared as such, and in its large hall, furnished as a cafe, naked girls served the offer of the house. A schoppen white wine cost a franc and who wanted to fuck with the girls or wank one, the waitress was paid forty sous. Everything happened on a bench or chair of the establishment: there were no rooms. Customers entering were usually surprised at two or three pairs who were just in full swing. This Lanterne Verte was a prosperous business; each waitress served thirty customers on average between twelve o'clock and five o'clock in the morning, which brought her sixty francs".''

In contrast to other brothels of Paris, such as

Le Fourcy Le Fourcy was the most famous mass brothel of Paris, a so-called ''Maison d'abattage''. It was located in the Saint-Paul district in the 4th arrondissement at 10 rue de Fourcy, and was notorious for treating its women very badly. In his book ''L ...

, the

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

were treated more justly there.

''" ..a quarter of them gave off the Puffmutter. The daily wages of a worker were then at most ten francs!"''

But it was not all good in the green lantern:

''"The chairs were in broken condition, ..Sylvain Bonmariage: ''Gagneuses. Chronique de l'amour vénal.'' Impr. de la Clé d'or, Paris 1952 zitiert nach Alphonse Boudard, Romi: ''Das goldene Zeitalter des Bordells.'' Heyne, München 1992, , S. 50 (Schlachtvieh, die letzte Bestimmung)''

The Lanterne Verte was closed in 1921.

References

{{Prostitution in France, state=collapsed Brothels in Paris

See also

References