1. Rebecca Chace
TMD 361
Dr. Gagnon
Storyville: the Role of Dress and Undress in E.J. Bellocq’s Storyville Portraits
Abstract:
This research looks at the work of E.J. Bellocq’s Storyville portraits. The collection of
photographs are black and white portraits of prostitutes from the red-light district of New
Orleans, known as Storyville, in the 1910s. The women in these photographs do not look like
the average female prostitute shown on the evening news or films such as Pretty Women. These
women are mothers, daughters, wives, teachers and nurses. This paper looks at the role of dress
and undress as well as the artistic inspiration hidden within these photographs. This research
draws upon sources including photographs, interviews, artwork and documentation of women’s
dress from the 1910s. To conduct my research, I analyzed a set of thirty-three photos by coding
and placing them into categories such as: location/background, posture, and clothed/unclothed.
In addition, I compared the photographs to artwork and the typical women’s wear of the time
period. Because these photographs are posed, everything from the eye contact to the posture of
the woman was done for a reason.
Introduction:
Clothing has always been a necessity, for people of all races and ethnic backgrounds.
Someone who is often overlooked in the fashion world are prostitutes, who have been somewhat
of a taboo to talk about. Yet, prostitution is most dense in cities, and it is cities that are the hubs
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2. of fashion. In the following paragraphs, I will explore how the women of Storyville get their
fashion inspiration from what they see around them, can there be an influence of fashion in their
wardrobe, some of these women are simply trying to look and feel as comfortable as they
possibly can. I compare the average prostitutes style in E.J. Bellocq’s Storyville photographs to
what the typical Victorian woman during the early 1900s was seen wearing. I looked into the
photographer E.J. Bellocq and why he was taking pictures of these women when no one had
looked at them before. Prostitutes wear clothing too. So why has their fashion not been studied?
This study is about taking something so unruly and turning it into a piece of artwork, a piece of
history.
Methods
The role of dress and undress in the early 1900s was first examined by coding and
comparing photographs of E.J. Bellocq’s Storyville collection. There are eighty-nine portraits in
this collection; however, I only analyzed the thirty-four plates from the book Storyville.
Inspiration for this study came from a pair of stripped stockings (Figure 1) in the University of
Rhode Island’s textile collection, which was traced back to a pair similar to ones seen on a
prostitute of Storyville in one of Bellocqs’s portraits (Figure 2). Thirty-three photographs found
in the book Storyville were analyzed for this study by coding them into categories such as:
location/background, posture, and clothed/unclothed. Each “plate” was organized and placed into
a chart, which made it easy to compare the photos to better understand each photo. For example,
focus was placed on a few key elements of the photograph, like the location of the photo: was it
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3. in a bedroom, inside vs. outside, did it contain backdrops and/or props, etc. The posture of the
subject was another category used to compare the photographs.
!
Figure 2: Plate 17 from Storyville by E. J. Bellocq
!
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Figure 3: Unknown Pompeian Artist, Venus Anadyomene. ca. 79. Fresco. Museo
Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Naples, Italy
Image found on the Theoi website.
Figure 1: Stripped stockings found in URI TMD
garment collection, donated by Mr. and Mrs.
David Scott Moulton (accessory #1987.12.64)

4. Was the women sitting, standing, laying down etc. Each pose said something different about the
mood the photograph was meant to illicit and about the female herself. After first comparative
chart was created findings were condensed to better fit the research and a revised chart was
created (Chart 1). Close attention was also paid to the state of dress/undress of the female, and if
she was clothed, what she was wearing. Many of the women had no clothing on but several
accessories, which I found to be interesting. For example, there was one portrait of a woman
completely naked but wearing shoes. Why did she choose to be nude but keep her shoes on?
Every artist is inspired by something; some are inspired by things that are not so obvious
while others are visually obvious in their artwork. There is a definite classical art influence in
many of Belloq’s photos. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, can be seen in many classical
artworks. She is often depicted modestly covering up certain parts of her nude body. Aphrodite
is also typically shown lounging casually on her side completely nude wearing some type of
accessory, usually jewelry. The fresco painting Aphrodite Anadyomene from Pompeii is a perfect
example of her classic pose (Fig. 3). I found it ironic that a female prostitute getting her portrait
taken would draw inspiration from the goddess of love (Fig. 4). Just like Aphrodite many of the
women appear very relaxed, suggesting they feel comfortable with their sexuality and embracing
their feminine features.
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5. Secondary sources were used to conduct the research such as the documentary film
Storyville: The Naked Dance, which included photos and interviews from the Storyville district
in the early 1910s. This different source of information allowed me to place Storyville in a
historical setting and get a better understanding of what Storyville was and what exactly went on
there. Most of my initial questions were answered by this short documentary.
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6. Chart
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7. Chart
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8. What is Storyville
Storyville from 1897 to 1917 was known as the red-light district of New Orleans,
Louisiana located just outside the French Quarter. Creating this sixteen square block area was
New Orleans way of confining prostitution in their city to one area. Places of prostitution,
gambling, and saloons were all located within this district; people came from all over the country
to watch horse races, chicken fights, and to enjoy the women of Storyville. It was common for
business meetings to be held in these saloons and brothels. The district had a train stop where
visitors were able to see prostitutes “performing” in the windows; it was an easy place for men to
travel to at the time. When entering Storyville one could find a directory known as a “Blue
Book” listing all the prostitutes alphabetically by name, race, price, and location. About 2,000
prostitutes lived in the district. At the time, Storyville was the largest and most well known
legalized red-light district in North America, and it brought in high profits for the city, with
alcohol sales being the highest. Lining the streets were mansions and brothels, most of which
employed about 40-50 prostitutes. By the end of 1917, the U.S. military persuaded New Orleans
to put an end to Storyville. When WWI began, the government was enlisting the healthy men of
the U.S.; however, many men had venereal diseases and the red-light district was blamed (Harris
2000).
It was a lot easier to be a prostitute for a female at the time than to work in a factory for a
week making what you would make in a night as a prostitute of Storyville (Harris 2000). Bellocq
was known to hang around the Old Greenwall burlesque house, where the photos are thought to
have been taken. During this time, Bellocq was known locally as an amateur photographer.
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9. Today, he is best known for this set of portraits from Storyville that were not found until after his
death. Photographing these women was somewhat of a hobby for Bellocq. He took pictures of
landmarks and ships as his main source of revenue. Bellocq was a quirky young man who
seemed to stick to himself; a loner for lack of a better term (Friedlander 1970).
Bellocq took eighty-nine plates of the women in Storyville, though only thirty-four
photos were analyzed in this study. This set of photographs was the inspiration behind several
novels, poems, and films such as New Orleans (1947), Pretty Baby (1978), and Storyville (1992).
Although his peers have characterized him as being “unfriendly” he showed an enormous
amount of kindness towards the women he was photographing. He had a way about him that
made them feel comfortable in front of him and the camera. The Storyville photographs by
Bellocq were not candid. The women in the collection are smiling and making eye contact with
the camera acknowledging that they are aware they are being photographed. It is clear in many
photographs from Bellocq’s collection that these women felt un-judged by Bellocq’s eyes.
Perhaps they knew the artistry involved in photography. They appear to be eager participants in
Bellocq’s artistic endeavors. It is clear that the women in these photographs wanted to be shown
for who they really were and not just as sexual beings. Bellocq allowed them to dress and pose
however they wanted. Many of these women dressed as if they were going to church, or in their
best outfits and accessories to show off what they may have believed to be a glamorous life style.
Bellocq wanted to portray these women as a form of art.
The prostitute way of life was frowned upon during the Victorian era; women were not
thought of as sexual beings. As stated in The Naked Dance documentary about Storyville,
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10. “Women were to be enjoyed, ladies were to be married”. Women who showed off their bodies
were not deserving of marriage and were looked down upon. Bellocq empowered these women
by treating them as models for his artistic endeavors.
The Role of Dress in the Victorian Era
The women in these portraits are dressed however they chose to be. There were about
2,000 prostitutes in Storyville in the early 1900s, most began this line of work at a young age. A
women interviewed described going to the red-light district as a sixteen year old girl with a man
who promised her a glamorous lifestyle with feathers, fur, and gowns. It was an easy lifestyle to
get into but not so easy to get out of. Men also interviewed in the documentary said the
prostitutes were usually seen wearing knitted stockings with designs and slippers instead of
shoes in the windows of the whore-houses. A prostitute reported wearing silk stockings that cost
six dollars a pair with a garter belt and ribbons (Harris 2000). This idea of prostitution and their
way of dress lead to the “Flapper” girl look of the 1920s. Moving forward into the 1920s, society
becomes open minded to the concept of more revealing clothing outside of the bedroom. A
demand for silk stockings rose as fashionable hemlines got shorter (Mendes and Haye 2010, 63).
However, in the time of Storyville, this style of dress was frowned upon by the conservative
Victorian woman. During the day, women outside of the red-light district had their neck and
arms covered and only exposed them in evening wear. Modesty was key. In the late Victoria era
(1910s), an hour-glass silhouette was popular. The bustle was fabric drawn to the back of a skirt
and becomes pronounced in 1888 fashion which was replaced by gathers and a trumpet shaped
skirt. The bodice was fitted close to the body and was boned to provide the desired shape.
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11. Some of the women in the Storyville portraits
represented this Victorian style wardrobe. Many dressed in
glamorous clothing, while others did not dress at all. Living
in these brothels or “cribs” was not the glamorous lifestyle
they were most likely promised when enticed into this line of
work. In Plate 2, the woman in the portrait is seen wearing a
white lace dress with a high neckline and a large hat about as
wide as her shoulders, see figure 5. She is seen wearing a
long sleeve three button blazer over her dress, jewelry, and
she completed her look with a white pair of laced up shoes. In the early 1910s, hats were
becoming exceedingly large like the one in the photograph. Large bundles of flowers and
feathers sat atop these extravagant hats, only accessible to the wealthy. The woman of Plate 2 is
standing in one of the many bedrooms in a brothel, but is dressed with luxurious accessories
often seen on the wealthy women of the time period.
The Role of Undress
In the documentary, it was explained that the Madams who ran the brothels were the ones
who typically chose how the prostitutes dressed as they displayed themselves in the windows of
downtown Storyville. The Madams would pay attention to what their customers liked to see or
not see on their women. The prostitutes are the Madame’s source of income; they want to make
as much money as they possibly can, prostitution is a business. It was interesting that even in this
line of work, fashion is extremely important and influences what the customer likes or dislikes
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Figure 4Figure 5: Plate 2 from E.J. Bellocq’s
Storyville

12. and what will catch their eye and bring them in. However, in this set of photos Bellocq told the
women to dress however they would like to dress (Friedlander 1970). Many of these women
dressed in their Sunday best, with their most prized accessories to show off what they believed to
be a glamorous life style, while others chose to pose nude or with simple accessories. The role of
undress in these photographs is very important; the choice to not be dressed makes a statement,
especially in 1910. Perhaps the state of undress made the women feel more empowered and in
control of their sexuality.
Findings
“We view dress as a product and as a process that distinguishes human beings, from other
animals. As a product, many items are involved in dress that is a result of human creativity and
technology. As a process, dressing the body involves actions undertaken to modify and
supplement the body in order to address physical needs and
to meet social and cultural expectations about how
individuals should look” (Eicheretal 2008). Through the
above definition of dress, it is suggested that dressing
supplements the body. We also dress to cover our body parts
and maintain modesty but more importantly to express
ourselves. The act of dressing gives one the opportunity to
portray ourselves. My investigations of the Storyville
photographs resulted in four major codes. I looked at the photographs under the codes: location,
pose, dress or undressed, and eye contact. When one thinks of prostitution, lust is one of the first
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13. words that come to mind. Lust is defined as a very strong sexual desire (Merriam-Webster 2014).
If I were to associate a location to the word lust it would be the bedroom. Surprisingly, only four
of the portraits I analyzed had a bed or bedroom visible in the photograph. This stresses the idea
that these women did not want to be viewed merely as sexual beings, but human beings. It
surprised me that out of all the photographs there is such a low number of shots located in a
bedroom, a prostitutes main location when working. Another location seen in this collection is on
or around a windowsill. There are two portraits that have a windowsill directly in the photograph,
see figure 6. The window is a place where the prostitutes can both advertise and cool themselves
down. New Orleans is mainly swap land; muggy, hot air in a brothel would be seemingly
uncomfortable. A window is a way for them to feel a cool breeze and was a place the prostitutes
were able to be seen from the street by potential customers walking by or at the train stop (Harris
2000). Bellocq gathered his artistic inspirations to create a mysterious and unique set of
photographs. “And yet half a dozen photographs made in a given room at a given hour will each
describe a different reality” (Friedlander and Szarkowski 1970). There is not one set direction of
the photographs; each is different in one way or another, sending a different message to the
viewer with every photo.
Another important aspect I kept in mind while looking at these photographs is the
woman’s pose and posture. I found that the majority of the women, seventeen photos to be exact
are seen sitting in a chair of some sort. Only four were photographed lying down and eleven are
standing. Again the idea of lust is connected to the bedroom, and a bed is connected to the act of
lying down. There is a surprisingly low number of women lying down in the photos just as there
is a lack of images with bedrooms clearly visible. Bellocq is not photographing these women as
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Figure 6: Plate 22
from E.J. Bellocq’s Storyville

14. an advertisement for their sexual acts but as artwork. In this line of work for the most part the
women’s “performance” is done in a bed with their customer, involving someone to be lying
down. If Bellocq wanted to photograph these women as a business tactic for the women he
would have taken more photographs in a bedroom with the women in suggestive poses on or
around a bed. This was not his intention (Friedlander and Szarkowski 1970).
As the main focus of my research, I looked for the role of dress and undress. After
analyzing the set of photos I found that thirteen of the thirty-three women in the portraits were
nude. Nude has been defined as having no clothes on (Merriam-Webster 2014). Nine of the
women were completely nude while the other five have some type of accessories, shoes, or
article of clothing on. What is more important is the deliberate choice of article they decided to
wear in the photograph. Why are some women clothed while others are not at all? One photo
that stood out to me was Plate 22 (Fig. 6), this woman is standing upright completely nude but
wearing a watch on her left wrist and shoes on her feet. When I first looked at this photo, I
noticed that she was wearing shoes, why shoes? The woman is outside, which would help
explain why she is wearing shoes, to protect her feet as she walked outside. Both items in this
photograph are functional. There is another portrait of a woman inside, also nude with just a pair
of shoes on. This time, however the shoes are not fulfilling a functional purpose; one does not
need shoes on while being indoors. So again, why shoes? Something made this woman want to
put her shoes on while the rest of her body is uncovered. Out of the thirteen nude women, eight
of them are making direct eye contact with Bellocq. This tells me two things: the women are
extremely comfortable with being photographed nude, and that they have a level of comfort with
Bellocq. Comfortable enough to let a man take their photograph as they posed how they wanted.
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15. Something that stood out to me as I went through the photographs is that there are a few
portraits with animals in them, specifically dogs. I was not sure as to why these women decided
to have their pet in the shot with them; however, I learned that some of the prostitutes of
Storyville were known for their sexual acts with animals. The acts are never defined in the
interviews, but that can be left to your interpretation.
Conclusion
The women of Storyville are mothers, daughters, wives, teachers and nurses (Friedlander
and Szarkowski 1970). This research was conducted to look deeper into the role of dress and
undress as well as the artistic inspiration hidden within the Storyville portraits. Sources that were
used to draw information from include photographs, interviews, artwork and documentation of
women’s dress from the 1910s. The set of thirty-three photos were analyzed by coding them and
placing them into categories such as: location/background, pose, and clothed/unclothed. The
photographs were compared to artwork and the typical women’s wear of the time period and
concluded that the women of Storyville get their fashion inspiration from their Madam based on
their customers likes and dislikes while others are simply trying to look as comfortable as they
feel. The average prostitute’s style was then compared to that of a typical Victorian woman and
found that the prostitutes were much less conservative in their dress and put a much greater
emphasis on undergarments and hosiery. When looked into the photographer E.J. Bellocq and his
motivation for taking pictures of prostitutes when no one had looked at them like this before.
Bellocq saw beauty in the women of Storyville and chose to capture this by photographing them
in a style of dress of their choosing, therefore, giving the prostitutes power. This way of life was
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16. a stepping stone for later more revealing fashions to come. Decades later, these photographs are
still being looked at. He captured a time in American history that is often forgotten.
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17. Print
1. Eicher, Joanne Bubolz, Sandra Lee Evenson, and Hazel Lutz. The visible self: global
perspectives on dress, culture, and society. 3rd ed. New York: Fairchild Publications,
2000. Print. (Eicher et al. 2008)
2. Friedlander, Lee, John Szarkowski, and E.J. Bellocq. E.J. Bellocq: Storyville Portraits.
New York : Museam of Modern Art, 1970. Print. (Friedlander and Szarkowski 1970)
3. Mendes, Valerie D., and Amy Haye. Fashion since 1900. 2nd ed. London: Thames &
Hudson, 2010. Print. (Mendes and Haye 2010)
4. Merriiam-Webster. “Lust.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
5. Newberry, Jenna M. Venus Anadyomene: The Mythological Symbolism from Antiquity
to the 19th Century. N.p.: U of Wisconsin, 2011. Print.
Video
6. Storyville The Naked Dance. Dir. Maia Harris. Shanachie Entertainment Corporation,
2000. (Harris 2000)
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