Publieke vrouw (literally: public woman) is a term for prostitute you may come across in records in the 1800s and 1900s.
For most of this period, prostitution was legal. You may find publieke vrouw as the occupation in population registers or other records, though in many cases, the occupation of such women was left blank. In some cases, it can be inferred from other sources, such as witness statements or hospital records.
For more information about researching prostitutes see Looking for prostitutes and Using Hospital Records for Social History – The Case of Cornelia Platschart.
Scrapbook showing photos of suspected prostitutes and pimps. Credits: Pieter André Kater, scrapbook with notes of prostitutes, pimps, and suspicious persons, about 1930; call no. 5, Archief van Pieter André Kater, Record Group 31041; Stadsarchief Amsterdam.
About Yvette Hoitink
When doing research in the 1970s in the Netherlands my husband came across the term public woman in one of his ancestors records. He asked the staff what did it mean.