Like so many straight men, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec had a thing for girl-on-girl action.

Can you blame him though? In this painting we see two prostitutes at a brothel, taking a load off and having some fun with each other in between clients. One is topless and it is steamy. Throughout the 1890s, Toulouse-Lautrec spent much of his time floating from brothel to brothel observing the women. He became such a regular that many of the gals who worked in these institutions began to see him as their friend and confidant.

Back in the 19^th century, brothels like this one were commonplace and totally legal in France. How progressive, right? Starting in 1804, Napoleon ordered that there should be a bi-weekly health examination for all prostitutes. (USA should take note.) Napoleon declared brothels legal as long as they followed a set of rules. Such laws included requiring the brothel to be run by women, as well as one demanding that the ladies of the night did not exhibit the external appearance of an escort. So...no Lycra?

At the time that this painting was made, the idea of female homosexuality would seem totally absurd. Up until the 19^th century, homosexuality was largely overlooked, and even shunned, being seen as unnatural and a crime against nature. During the 19^th century though, the field of psychology finally started to investigate the underpinnings of this culture...and then took the official stance that it was a disease. D'oh. So while the idea of two girls canoodling a little doesn't shock today, during the time in which Toulouse-Lautrec was painting, the idea of lesbian lovers was almost blasphemous.

That didn't stop Toulouse-Lautrec though! He persisted making many versions of scenes like these, showing that many of the women he met at the brothels were indeed lesbian or bisexual. Toulouse-Lautrec, pervy voyeur and yet champion of lesbian hookers. We love it.