Madame Brussels by Barbara Minchinton

A must-read biography of an enigmatic personality who helped shape early Melbourne

Madame Brussels, the most legendary brothel keeper in nineteenth-century Melbourne, is still remembered and celebrated today. But until now, little has been known about Caroline Hodgson, the woman behind the alter ego.

Born in Prussia to a working-class family, Caroline arrived in Melbourne in 1871. Left alone when her police-officer husband was sent to work in remote Victoria, she turned her hand to running brothels. Before long, she had proved herself brilliantly entrepreneurial- her principal establishment was a stone’s throw from Parliament House, lavishly furnished and catered to Melbourne’s ruling classes.

Caroline rode Melbourne’s boom in the 1880s, weathered the storm of the depression years in the 1890s and suffered in the moral panic of the 1900s. Her death in 1908 signified the end of one kind of Melbourne and the beginning of another- in terms of prostitution, the city went from tolerance to complete prohibition in her lifetime.

Drawing on extensive research, author and historian Barbara Minchinton deftly pieces together Madame Brussels’ story and guides readers on a journey through a fascinating, colourful period in Melbourne’s history. This is a major biography of an Australian icon.

About the Author: Barbara Minchinton is a historian and independent researcher. For several years she collaborated with a team of archaeologists on the interpretation of artefacts from Melbourne’s Little Lon district. She is the co-editor of The Commonwealth Block, Melbourne, a historical archaeology of the city’s working-class and immigrant communities, and the author of The Women of Little Lon.

02 Jul 2024
 

Madame Brussels: The Life and Times of Melbourne’s Most Notorious Woman by Barbara Minchinton ISBN 9781760644932