From a courtesan famed for her wealth to a mistress of a future King of England, these are the women who ruled Paris from their bed.
Photos show prostitutes who featured in 'The Pretty Women of Paris' - the nineteenth century directory for the French capital's best courtesans and brothels.
Published in 1883 and limited to 169 copies, the notorious guide listed the names of the city's most famous scarlet women - along with their addresses, qualities and faults.
The handbook - which was aimed at visiting English gentlemen in Paris - meticulously described the sexual specialities and background of every prostitute.
Under Napoleon, prostitution became legal in France and the booklet arranges the various courtesans in Paris by district for ease for the potential customer.
Although little-known today, many of the women listed rose to become extremely wealthy and famous in their own right - wielding power in the French capital through the men they bedded.
Pictured in the collection is famed Parisian prostitute, Jeanne Granier whose besotted lovers are said to have included Queen Victoria's eldest son and future king of England, Edward VII.
Prince Edward famously enjoyed a rendezvous with opera star, Jeanne, in the Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo in 1889.
However back in Paris, Granier would entertain wealthy male clients and other European princes in her opulent private house in the Avenue de Wagram.
The collection also includes celebrated courtesan, Gabrielle Elluini. The handbook describes Gabrielle as 'the richest moll in the world' with an amassed fortune of 'one hundred thousand pounds sterling' - equivalent to £11million in today's money.
Another image shows Ameltie Latour who was one of the most coveted prostitutes during Napoleon III's reign - and Juliette Grandville who is praised in the bawdy directory as being 'the only woman we have ever met with who can exercise affection for both sexes at one and at the same time'.
Prostitution was legal and regulated in France throughout the nineteenth century.
When Napoleon become Emperor in 1804, he ordered the registration and fortnightly health inspection of all sex workers in France.
Five years later, Paris alone had 180 officially approved brothels. By law, these brothels had to be run by a woman -typically a former prostitute - and their external appearance had to be discreet.
Sordid brothels known as 'maisons d'abattage' were popular among the lower-classes in Paris. However the nineteenth century also saw courtesans become extraordinarily wealthy and famous - and opulent brothels such as le Chabanais were built.
As 'The Pretty Women of Paris' directory shows, many of the prostitutes listed were professional stage actresses. Some of these prostitutes would have been working actresses waiting for their big break so they would have taken pains to entertain their male clients well - in case they were important enough to forward their career on the stage.
Meanwhile other Parisian courtesans were famed actresses enjoyed the lifestyle and wealth that came with being kept women or mistresses of men of rank.
Prostitution in France remained legal until April 6, 2016 when the French National Assembly voted to punish customers of sex-workers with a fine.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
