The article originally appeared on VICE France

For locals and tourists alike, the northern Parisian district of Pigalle will always be special. It’s been the city’s all-night mecca for sex and drugs – and pretty much anything else that keeps the party going – over the past few decades.

This is the world that Jane Evelyn Atwood discovered when she arrived in Pigalle in 1978. The American photographer loved capturing everything the neighbourhood’s nocturnal goings-on had to offer, but found herself particularly drawn to documenting the trans community in the area and, specifically, those making a living from sex work.

After gaining the trust of the community, Atwood spent years photographing a group of people who were unfairly “ridiculed, feared, ostracised and relegated to the margins of society.” Her work has culminated in her latest book, Pigalle People, 1978-1979, while some photographs were recently on display at the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival.

Scroll down to see photos from Jane Evelyn Atwood’s Pigalle People.