Story: Sex work

A safe brothel for New Zealand soldiers

A safe brothel for New Zealand soldiers

Ettie Rout worked to protect New Zealand soldiers from venereal disease in Egypt, England and France during the First World War. This card advertises Madame Yvonne's brothel on the Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris, where the prostitutes were supplied with sheaths (thicker condoms) and there was plenty of hot water and soap, and clean towels and sheets. Rout would meet New Zealand soldiers when they arrived in Paris, offer them lodging at the Hotel d'Ostend, close to the Place de l'Opéra, and give them cards for Madame Yvonne's. According to Rout, the brothel provided 'safe and suitable provision for the sexual needs of troops'. Men could also go to Madame Yvonne's to meet young women and, for a fee, take them out to the theatre.

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Australian War Memorial
Reference: 3 DRL 6487 (55)

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How to cite this page:

Jan Jordan, 'Sex work - 20th-century sex work', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/ephemera/29367/a-safe-brothel-for-new-zealand-soldiers (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Jan Jordan, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 31 May 2018