Brothels and Bones: What City Hall Has Taught Us About 19th-Century Women and Sex Work

Summary

Set amidst a burgeoning downtown populace, the Commons now housing City Hall Park was a blurred boundary between soldiers, legislators, prisoners, and laborers from across the cityscape. Often lost in this picture, however, are the intimate activities of women living in the nineteenth century. Examining material finds related to feminine hygiene and health care and engaging with the historic and modern taboos of female sexuality and sex work brings to light the everyday experiences of women usually relegated to the fringe or footnote.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• New York’s City Hall Park: A Physical Space for New York City’s Public

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-77,04