Sex work has been in our world for millennia. It’s one of the world’s oldest professions and has always been part of society. In late 19th century Melbourne, sex work was run from boarding houses owned by women like Caroline Hodgson – aka Madame Brussels. She was known as Melbourne’s most notorious woman and her life and what led her to becoming a brothel owner makes for an interesting read, giving a deeper insight into how women who did not have familial support could support themselves during that time.
Orphaned at a young age, Hodgson married Studholme Hodgson despite the disparities in class that, at the time, would have been scandalous. She followed him out to Australia, hoping for a better life than she had in Europe. Within years, she was running some of the best-known brothels in Melbourne’s Lonsdale Street. Her brothels were known for luxurious surroundings, high-quality food and drink, as well as music and dancing before the sex games. In 19th century Melbourne, this appeared to be frowned upon or illegal, yet at the same time, Madame Brussels ran her business and houses seamlessly for many years.
Biographies and histories have examined major events, moments and figures for many years – usually through the lens of men and their achievements. Madame Brussels is the latest in a recent influx of histories and biographies that examine events and people in history people may not have known much about before.
This biography presents an interesting side to Melbourne’s history. It shows a world where women had few options – or so it seemed on the surface. It was a time when it was expected that men worked and women raised a family. Yet, there were women for whom sex work allowed them to support a family, to leave an abusive relationship or to gain independence for themselves. It was also a job that could keep women off the streets and in the safety of these houses. The book shows what Melbourne society thought of this profession at the time. It wasn’t really accepted, but men still participated. Despite its illegality, it is still something that went on under the noses of the authorities.
In a world where propriety and reputation were important, Madame Brussels pulls on the threads of outward society to examine the underbelly underneath. Through today’s lens, it could be seen as an attempt for women to reclaim power and control over their lives. For a woman to choose the world’s oldest profession to support themselves, the biography implies that there would have been many reasons to do so. As there must be today.
Read: Book review: The Temperature, Katerina Gibson
This historical book is also an examination of how a woman, born to a single mother and then orphaned, worked her way to a good societal footing and created her own thriving business. It doesn’t moralise about her, but shows her as a complicated and flawed woman. It is these complexities and flaws that make Madame Brussels and her story compelling enough to keep the reader interested.
Madame Brussels: The Life and Times of Melbourne’s Most Notorious Woman, Barbara Minchinton
Publisher: Black Inc Books
ISBN: 9781760644932
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304pp
Release date: 2 July 2024
RRP: $36.99
