Anna Labelle, aka Mrs. Emile Beauchamp, was one of the most powerful women in Montreal during the Second World War. Seen here in 1939, Labelle was known for showing up at the courthouse in a Cadiallac, wrapped in mink . She was a character in the 1992 TV miniseries "Montréal Ville Ouverte "

Annie Parker was arrested in connection with an investigation into prostitution.

Blanche Martin was arrested for keeping a brothel in 1940.

Fleurette Dubois was arrested for keeping a brothel.

Germaine Giraud was arrested in connection with an investigation into prostitution.

Gisele Roy, aka Marie-Jeanne Lambert, was arrested for prostitution in 1941

Jeanine Lebrun was arrested in April of 1940 for running a brothel.

Liliane Brown, aka Ida Katz, was a major brothel owner during the Second World War.

Lina Tony was arrested in December 1941 for running a brothel. She was arrested later the same year for running another brothel on the same street.

Delicato Bizante Lucie was another major brothel owner. She was also a character in the "Montréal Ville Ouverte " miniseries.

Madeleine Gagnon was arrested in connection with an investigation into prostitution. in 1943.

Mary Shepperd was arrested in connection with an investigation into prostitution.

A set of archived mugshots from the Archives de la Ville de Montreal showcases women who were arrested for prostitution and madams that ran brothels - a common seedy practice in Montreal in the 1940s.These are the faces of Montreal's seedy 20th century red-light district, when the Canadian city was known as the sex capital of North America. The city became known as a den of iniquity shortly after the First World War, when the introduction of prohibition in the United States sent people over the border in search of drink and a good time.(via Archives de la Ville de Montréal