Olympia by Manet: a social and sexual taboo

In addition to my previous blog post on chokers, I found an interesting online lecture series on the painting of Olympia by Manet. This particular episode included here, from a series of four videos, focuses on society and prostitution and is called: a social and sexual taboo. 

The company responsible for this video is Art d'Histoire. By producing video's in a lecture format their goal is to reach students and academics. The presentations contain references to mainly primary (printed) sources and according to the website, the content is entrusted to a team of historians and philosophers. The names of these researchers are, however, not included online.   

All lectures are presented in French by Lisa Martinot. Her presentation skills are excellent and the content is compelling and well researched. Unfortunately, the dubbed English version has been removed. The only addition I have to this particular lecture on prostitution is that I am missing a few excellent historical studies on the topic. Surely the academics involved must have read them? For instance:

  • Bakker, N., et al., Splendeurs et misères: Images de la prostitution 1850-1910 (Paris 2015).
  • Clayson, H., Painted Love: Prostitution in French Art of the Impressionist Era (2nd ed.; New Haven 2003).
  • Corbin, A., Les filles de noce: misère sexuelle el prostitution aux 19e el 20e siècles (Paris 1978).
  • Harris, J., Policing prostitution in nineteenth-century Paris (New Jersey 1985).
  • Frondizi, A. and S. Porcher, 'Sidewalk queens: the economics of popular prostitution in Fin-de-Siecle Paris' in: S. Cunningham and M. Shati (eds), The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Prostitution (Oxford 2016) 416-433. 
  • Ross, A.I., Urban Desires: Practicing Pleasure in the ‘City of Light,’ 1848-1900 (Michigan 2011).



Post updated, 28-12-2023

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