Madeleine Blair (pseudonym) was a sex worker who lived and worked in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the Midwestern and Western United States as well as Canada. Her autobiography, Madeleine: an autobiography, which tells the story of her life and work as a prostitute, was published by Harper & Brothers Publishers in 1919.
Early life
Childhood As Madeleine published her autobiography using a pseudonym, her real identity has never been uncovered. Therefore, both her date of birth and the exact origins of her family cannot be ascertained. She was a third generation American, whose parents moved from the Atlantic seaboard to settle in "a thriving town of the Middle West." While never naming the specific location of her childhood, Madeleine describes it in her autobiography as a "new and crude" town, with few opportunities. She was the second eldest child of a large family, and her father was a well-respected member of the community. Madeleine's upbringing was in line with that of an upper-class child; her family employed a laundress and a cook. She had access to education and a wide variety of literature, and proved at a young age to have both an appetite and a talent for learning. Her parents were also religious, and she was raised with a "strict heaven and hell belief," which strongly influenced her throughout the rest of her life.
Worsening conditions However, the happy childhood that Madeleine describes in her autobiography did not last. The first disruption was an incident in which her father discovered her playing with the laundress's son. He became enraged and attacked both her and the other child before being stopped by Madeleine's mother. Madeleine soon learned from the family's cook that her father was an alcoholic who had been drinking for the past two years and that, despite her mother's efforts to hide his alcoholism, his condition had steadily been worsening. After this initial incident, Madeleine's father continued to beat her. Eventually, he sold his business and left the family for several months. When he returned, the family's home was sold under mortgage and they subsequently moved into a small house in a poor neighborhood.
After this move, Madeleine's father lost his job and left once again to find work in a pattern that would continue throughout Madeleine's adolescence. Madeleine's older brother left school and began working to support the family in their father's absence. That fall, Madeleine herself turned thirteen, but as there was no demand for child labor in their town she was unable to help her brother in supporting the family. Madeleine recalls the winter following her thirteenth birthday as one of the worst of her life. Her family could not afford to continue to send her to school, and a new baby only added increased strain to the household. The family was regularly cold and hungry, and Madeleine describes that "at regular intervals father came home, drunk and demoniacal, to sober up, repent, and become again that courteous gentleman, the kindly parent, the loving husband of his brief sober periods." In spring, the family's situation worsened further as they were forced to move to the worst neighborhood in town. The neighboring women, while ostensibly employed in other businesses, worked additionally as prostitutes. These women became Madeleine's only companions throughout her teenage years as she and her older brother never returned to school. With her mother preoccupied with the younger children, her brother working, and her father often absent, Madeleine began to be propositioned by her father's previous friends. When she was seventeen, she had sex for the first time, which remained a deep source of shame throughout her life.
Shortly after Madeleine had turned seventeen, her family received a letter from a former servant, Mrs. James, who had married and was living in St. Louis. The woman suggested that Madeleine come to St. Louis to live with her and work in a factory, and she offered to pay for the travel expenses and take care of the girl. At this point, Madeleine's family had not heard from her father in nearly a year. She and her mother agreed that the move St. Louis would be in the best interest of both Madeleine and her family, who were at this point being supported exclusively by Madeleine's older brother, and Madeleine said a painful goodbye to her family soon after.
St. Louis
Arrival Upon arriving in St. Louis, Madeleine began boarding with Mrs. James, who found her work as a check-girl at a factory where Mrs. James was the forewoman. Although Madeleine was adept at the job, she struggled to fit in socially with the girls who boarded and worked with her in St. Louis. After about two months in the city she became sick, and when her health worsened to the point that she was unable to work. Mrs. James took Madeleine to a physician, where they discovered that the girl was pregnant. Madeleine, deeply ashamed, admitted to Mrs. James that she had had sex. The two decided that they would keep the pregnancy a secret from Madeleine's mother, and although Mrs. James was sympathetic and insisted that no man would have taken advantage of Madeleine if her father had been there to protect her, Madeleine resolved to run away in order to bear her disgrace alone.
Running away Madeleine secretly packed her belongings and left Mrs. James' home. She hailed a streetcar and rode it to the end of the line, where she aimlessly wandered through a suburb of the city. Eventually Madeleine took refuge in a drugstore, where she bought stationery and a stamp and wrote a letter to Mrs. James. As she was leaving the drugstore, Madeleine was propositioned by the owner, who blocked her way out. When she lashed out angrily at him, he let her pass. She once again hailed a streetcar and this time rode to Union Station, where she bought food and set out to find a room for the night. After wandering outside the station Madeleine became frightened and retreated back to the station waiting room, where she subsequently fell asleep. She was woken by the Depot Master who, upon learning that she was not waiting for a train and had nowhere to go, took her to a hotel where she could spend the night.
After her first night alone in St. Louis, Madeleine set out to find work. Without connections or knowledge of the city, she had no success, and her money shortly ran out. Left alone and hungry in the cold October weather, Madeleine spent the night with a man for shelter who, when asked the next morning, refused to pay her. She subsequently took shelter in a department store, where she scavenged food scraps from a garbage bin and wrote two letters, one to Mrs. James and one to her Mother, assuring both that she was alright. That night, Madeleine found herself on the streets, where she was propositioned by a black man. After vehemently denying him, she created a commotion which drew the attention of another man, who stopped to see if she was hurt. When she explained her situation, the driver took Madeleine to a lodging house, where he provided her with a room, food, a bath, and money to buy breakfast the next morning before leaving and promising that they would have lunch together the next day.
Madeleine remained with this man, who she estimated to be about ten years her senior, for a number of days, and he continued to provide her with food, clothes, and lodging. Eventually, he explained to Madeleine that he had previously contracted a venereal disease but that his doctor had cured him. He asked Madeleine to sleep with him despite the risk of contracting the disease, and she agreed, feeling indebted after his generosity. Madeleine later accompanied her host to Kansas City on a business trip. During this time, Madeleine maintained correspondence with both her mother and Mrs. James, who helped hide the reality of her situation from her family.
Entry into prostitution
Kansas City After a week in Kansas City, Madeleine contracted the same disease that her host had previously contracted. As she was unable to travel, the man left Madeleine in the care of a physician and with enough money to take care of herself, asking her to return to him once she was healthy again. While in the hospital, Madeleine became acquainted with a prostitute named Mamie, who worked at a house on Fourth Street and had been in the business for six years. Mamie talked to Madeleine about her job and advised the girl to go to a house, which would provide some measure of comfort and protection, once she lost the man who was supporting her. She insisted that Madeleine should never go to the streets.
During her stay in the hospital, Madeleine continued to receive letters from the man in St. Louis. After three weeks, she was well enough to return to him. However, at this point Madeleine was about six months pregnant and would no longer be able to keep her condition secret. Rather than tell him the truth, she contacted Mamie, who in turn put Madeleine into contact with her landlady, Miss Laura. A few days later, Madeleine began living and working at Miss Laura's brothel, where she first took on the name Madeleine Blair.
Miss Laura's brothel Miss Laura's house was one of three first-class brothels in Kansas City; Miss Laura had started as prostitute herself, and she treated the girls fairly and kindly. However, Madeleine's reluctance to entertain the men and her dislike for liquor made it difficult for her to adjust to her new occupation. Eventually, Miss Laura introduced Madeleine to a man, Paul Martin, who would become her supporter, lover, and confidant for many years. While he looked down upon prostitution as undesirable but necessary, he quickly became partial to Madeleine and visited her frequently. When he left town, he continued to write her letters.
As her pregnancy progressed, Madeleine received support from the other girls in the brothel, many of whom were excited for the baby. However, the pregnancy was difficult for Madeleine—who did not want the baby—and was made more difficult by the venereal disease she had previously contracted. When Madeleine refused to see the house physician, Miss Laura called a friend who was a physician to care for Madeleine. Madeleine's baby daughter died either during or shortly after the birth, but the doctor became a close friend during her time in his care. Once Madeleine had recovered, the doctor offered to support her in returning home and seeking an education. Madeleine accepted his offer, with encouragement from the other girls in the brothel as well as Miss Laura.
Chicago
Return home Madeleine and the doctor arranged to meet Mrs. James in St. Louis, who would help conceal from her family the true story of how Madeleine had met her benefactor. The three decided that Madeleine should return home for a visit before coming back to St. Louis to attend a private school. Madeleine was greeted warmly by her family upon her return. Her father was once again absent, and the family hadn't heard from him since he had written from Eastern Illinois three months previously. Madeleine also learned that her older brother would leave in June to go West with the firm he had been working for. When she informed her of the plans to attend school in St. Louis, Madeleine was unable to assuage her mother's doubts. Not wanting to raise suspicions as to how she had met her doctor friend, she decided instead to go to Chicago to seek work. Her mother consented to this plan, and Madeleine wrote letters to Mrs. James and the doctor to inform them of the situation. She additionally wrote a letter to Paul, telling him that she had left prostitution.
Arrival in Chicago