Clandestine, Ephemeral, Anonymous? Myths and Actualities of the Intimate Economy of a 19th-Century Boston Brothel

Summary

Although prostitution was illegal in 19th-century Boston, it was not carried out in secret, nor did it produce so ephemeral a trace as to render it invisible in the historical and archaeological record. Study of material remains from the 27/29 Endicott Street brothel demonstrates the multi-layered realities of brothel life as the residents of the brothel developed strategies for coping with being purchased for ostensibly intimate acts that were in fact commercial transactions. These strategies included the use of aliases to mask true identities and provision of a wide array of ancillary services to brothel clients such as special meals, wine, and drink that were consumed in an ersatz middle-class setting, For the visiting clients, these supplementary offerings constituted a particular type of fantasy experience purchased alongside intimate sexual acts, fulfilling fantasies related to distorted middle-class domesticity, homosocial male camaraderie, and erotic performance.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2017   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

Keywords

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 719