Madame Bijou is a photograph of an old woman who once led a rich life but now lives on charity. She read palms and told stories to receive food and money from gullible men. When Brassai took her picture and later wrote about her in his book, she felt very insulted and humiliated. “This lady…she used to sit at this bar every night. Wearing every piece of jewelry she owned… just…waiting for her long lost love. They called her Madam Biju; see her clothes are all moth eaten?”