Le Chabanais
Le Chabanais was one of the best known and most luxurious brothels in Paris, operating near the Louvre at 12 rue Chabanais from 1878 until 1946, when brothels were outlawed in France. It was founded by the Irish-born Madame Kelly, who was closely acquainted with several members at the Jockey-Club de Paris. Among the habitués were Albert, Prince of Wales ; Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec; Cary Grant; Humphrey Bogart, Mae West and diplomatic guests of the French government.
History
The brothel, famous enough to warrant mentioning in the 7-volume Nouveau Larousse illustré encyclopaedia of 1904, was founded by the Irish-born Madame Kelly, who was closely associated with several members at the prestigious Jockey-Club de Paris. She sold shares in the profitable business to wealthy anonymous investors. The total cost of the establishment was reported to be the exorbitant sum of 1.7 million francs. The entrance hall was designed as a bare stone cave; the bedrooms were lavishly decorated, many in their own style: Moorish, Hindu, Japanese, Pompeii, and Louis XVI. The Japanese room won a design prize at the 1900 World Fair in Paris. Madame Kelly died in 1899.Post-World War I
In the mid-1920s, Le Chabanais was overtaken by the One-Two-Two as the top luxury brothel in Paris.World War II
During the World War II German occupation of France, 20 top Paris brothels, including Le Chabanais, Le Sphinx, One-Two-Two, La Fleur blanche, La rue des Moulins, and Chez Marguerite, were reserved by the Wehrmacht for German officers and collaborating Frenchmen. The brothels flourished and Hermann Göring visited Le Chabanais, as is related in the 2009 two-volume book 1940–1945 Années Erotiques by Patrick Buisson.Post-World War II
The French legal brothels, known as "maisons closes" or "maisons de tolérance", were closed by law in 1946, after a campaign by Marthe Richard. The backlash against the brothels was in part due to their collaboration with the Germans. A 2002 survey showed that, despite the fact that 64% of French people thought that prostitution was "a degrading practice for the image and the dignity of the woman ", nearly two-thirds believed that reopening the brothels would be a good idea.Closure and auction
On 8 May 1951, the contents of La Chabanais were sold at auction by Maurice Rheims, publicly revealing the furnishings, furniture and equipment including Edward VII's chaise de volupté and his copper champagne bath decorated with a sphinx. The bath was bought for 110,500 francs by the antiques dealer Jacob Street and was acquired in 1972 by Salvador Dalí, who placed it in his room at the Hotel Meurice.Notable visitors
The French government sometimes included a visit to Le Chabanais as part of the programme for foreign guests of state, disguising it as "visit with the President of the Senate" in the official programme at the opening of the World's Fair in 1889.Prominent visitors included King Carlos I of Portugal; Jagatjit Singh, Maharaja of Kapurthala; writer Pierre Louÿs; Cary Grant; Humphrey Bogart; Mae West; Roscoe Arbuckle, and Marlène Dietrich on the arm of Erich Maria Remarque.