The Queen of Tarts

Original painting - Acrylic on canvas 16x12

This painting is loosely based on the notorious New York Madam, Polly Adler.She opened her first bordello in 1920, under the protection of mobster Dutch Schultz and was a friend of mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano.

Adler's notorious Lexington Avenue house of prostitution functioned as a sort of social club for New York's gangsters and a variety of other celebrities, including the Mayor, Jimmy Walker.