Although opening a brothel was legal in the Netherlands during the late nineteenth century, maintaining long-term success proved challenging. Brothel owners had to navigate strict municipal regulations and shifting public opinion. Additionally, during this period of economic growth and urban transformation, the prostitution industry in medium-sized towns (20,000–120,000 inhabitants) became more consolidated: smaller brothels disappeared, leaving only the most resilient businesses until local brothel bans were introduced.

As a provincial capital, garrison town, and transit hub, ’s-Hertogenbosch supported both demand and supply for prostitution until a brothel ban in 1905. Framed as entrepreneurs, Van den Brink explores how brothel owners used economic, human, and social capital to run their businesses during this changing era. The findings illustrate that while smaller enterprises often treated prostitution as a temporary livelihood, owners of the larger businesses invested in it as a long-term professional career.