The American-born EJ Bellocq lived from 1873 to 1949. He was active as a commercial photographer in New Orleans during the period 1895–1940, the time this image was produced. Little more is known of him although he is often compared to Toulouse-Lautrec in his character as well as his choice of subject matter. Bellocq is chiefly recognised for his relaxed, realistic photographs of prostitutes in New Orleans' infamous red-light district, Storyville. These large-format portraits evoke the sensual beauty of these women. Whether they have posed innocently, wickedly or seductively, each one appears perfectly at ease with the photographer. Of this body of work, 89 negatives survive. The photographer Lee Friedlander discovered Bellocq's work in 1958 and purchased the surviving plates in 1966. This later print was processed by Friedlander himself using turn-of-the-century printing techniques.