Grasping the intricacies of the organisation of the French prostitution system between 1850 and 1900 enriches our understanding of genre paintings by artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Béraud and Nittis. At that time, the profession was entirely devoted to controlling the deadly disease known as syphilis, -  from which most French artists and authors suffered  -with its specialised establishments, hospitals, registration system, prisons and police.