Prostitution was not illegal in the late Middle Ages, but prostitutes were permitted to work only in the taverns – such as The Mermaid and The Unicorn – in the back streets near the city walls. The young woman in this painting is usually identified as Mary Magdalene, who often symbolises women of loose morals. This identification is based primarily on her pose and penitent appearance, since Jan van Bronchorst has not depicted Mary Magdalene’s usual attributes, such as a jar of ointment.