Since the end of the nineteenth century, there was a prostitution ban in Amsterdam, later expanded to a nationwide prohibition. Article 250bis prohibited facilitating prostitution. Nevertheless, it was tacitly allowed if prostitutes did not dress too provocatively and did not tap on windows or otherwise attract customers. In the post-war years, many prostitutes still lived in the Red Light District. Sometimes they shared a workspace, like the women in this painting. The painter had his studio near the Oudekerksplein. After decades of discussions, the brothel ban came to an end on October 1, 2000. In recent years, the city of Amsterdam has been trying to rid the Red Light District of crime and human trafficking by purchasing brothels.