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From 1891 to 1895 Lautrec was a regular at the brothel in the Rue des Moulins. It was during this time that he drew many subjects from brothel life, including anything from the laundresses to the most intimate scenes between the women who lived in the brothel.
It was in the salon, the brothel's reception room, that the women awaited their customers. Here introductions were made, and the visitors took their pick. Of the objects that decorated such salons - the mirrors, columns, plants and knick-knacks - there is almost no hints here. Instead the voluminous red sofas dominate the picture. As long as there were no guests the atmosphere in the salon was one of boredom, and Lautrec has brilliantly caught the listless, joyless waiting, the prostitutes' apathy, making this the theme of the picture.
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