Early in 1929 Léon Courbouleix was commissioned by Mitton’s publishing house Art de l’intermédiaire du bibliophile to provide a set of illustrations of Parisian prostitutes to accompany a text by the writer and advocate Raymond Hesse (1884–1967). The result, Scenes from Houses of Illusion, contains fifteen of Courbouleix’s trademark images, showing him at his very best; our copy also includes two preparatory sketches.

The Courbouleix-illustrated edition of Scènes des maisons d’illusions was published in a numbered limited edition of 100 copies.