The monumental climax of Lautrec’s series documenting Montmartre brothels, created after extended periods residing inside the establishment on Rue des Moulins. The painting depicts the mundane waiting hours of sex workers, completely devoid of eroticism or moral judgment, with the house manager (Madame Baron) seated at the center. Lautrec utilized peinture à l'essence (oil paint thinned with turpentine), a technique that allowed fluid, highly transparent graphic execution directly on a large-scale canvas.