About this Event
Archaeologist and sex historian Anne O Nomis gives a guided tour of the Victorian red light district, taking in "Little Lon" and the world inhabited by the notorious Madame Brussels and her workers and rivals.
The pavements of Melbourne were nightly frequented with sewing girls and milliners' apprentices, described as being neatly and sometimes handsomely dressed, passing and repassing for hours for purpose of amusement or making "assignations".
The city was compared frequently to London and even more commonly - to Paris, with its women likened to the "grisettes", and a culture of Bohemia and absinthe-drinking.
From the 1880s, France was producing many times over as much absinthe as wine. It was made from wormwood, and known as the "green fairy", high in alcohol content and believed to have almost magical properties of hallucination.
An archaeological dig at Little Lon site has uncovered absinthe bottles and oyster shells from the pits of the old brothel district. While newspapers of the era detail the battle of the puritans with the likes of Madame Brussels and other brothel owners and workers.
The tour weaves a path through the geography and the sites, with Anne O Nomis channeling Madame Brussels sharing her history and experience of life in the Victorian city. Calling in on significant locations and the odd watering hole, to experience in spirit - the days of Old.
Saturday 8th June 2024 at 2 pm - 4 pm
(Please be there on time otherwise the tour will be leaving without you)
Tour begins at: 23 Casselden Place, Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Email: [email protected]
Event Venue
23 Casselden Pl, 23 Casselden Place, Melbourne, Australia
