The principle laid down by Noilly was "to represent all women of the era". Such an idea could only appeal to Rops, "obsessed" by the Woman who was his symbol for the aesthetic turn of the century. Demi-mondaines1 in their boudoirs, courtesans, grisettes2, prostitutes, monks and novices, bawdy entertainers, men and women bathing... bring this album to life, exceptional for its size, for its technical quality and for the originality of the approach.
1 Women of the demi-monde, a class in 19th-c France considered to be of doubtful social standing and morality.
2 Young working-class French girls