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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's (1880–1938) Women in the Street was painted in Berlin around 1914, as the last of a series of eight street scenes. Begun in 1913, the series represents a high point in Kirchner's Expressionist work on the eve of the First World War (1914–1918). In October 1911 Kirchner moved from Dresden to Berlin with his friends from the Brücke community. His hopes of better living conditions in the metropolis were disappointed, however, and after the dissolution of the Brücke in May 1913, he felt even more exposed to loneliness and deprivation. Add to this the overstimulation of the city, and the result is increasing psychological stress.

The large painting shows a man accompanied by two women, with other sketched figures behind them. The 'women in the street' are prostitutes. They look confidently out of the picture. Tapered forms define the figures, and the work is atmospherically charged by the colours yellow, green and blue.

Kirchner often liked to wander the streets of Berlin at night, observing the colourful hustle and bustle. He was particularly fascinated by the clandestine attempts at contact between customers and prostitutes.