Prostitution in 18th Century England Essay example -- European History

prostitution in eighteenth Century EnglandMiss B____rn. No. l 8 Old Compton Street, Soho Close in the arms she languishingly liesWith dying looks, short breath, and privation eyes.This accomplished nymph has just attained her eighteenth year, and fraught with any perfection, enters a volunteer in the field of Venus. She plays on the pianofort, sings, dances, and is mistress of both Maneuver in the amorous contest that can enhance the plan of attack pleasure is of the middle stature, fine auburn hair, dark eyes and very(prenominal) inviting countenance, which constantly seems to beam delight and love. In bed she is all the tenderheartedness can wish, or eyes admires every limb is symmetry, every work on under cover truly amorous her price ii pounds. (Maccubbin 63) The to a higher place is an excerpt from Harriss List of Covent Garden Ladies, a listing of prostitutes published annually, and originally aimed at the wealthy, as one might suppose from the quite an immoderate fee charged by the above Miss B___ rn. This particular living is from the 1788 edition. Not all prostitutes were this expensive though. Some of the more common tarts in stock(predicate) in London could be had for a shilling or two (Maccubbin). Prostitution, in the eighteenth century, was perhaps as close as it has ever been to being an acceptable livelihood. The crusading, abolishing Puritans had been hushed up, at least a little, and the accent mark shifted to the economic reality of trying, as a woman, to support oneself in the harsh climate of London. Londons primary industry was wealthy people (Maccubbin 61), and the best, and sometimes only, government boardncy to make money was to entice said wealthy people to go along their money. Being a prostitute was really the most economically operable option. Working as a seamstre... ... up on the subject for this paper, and duty gracious, hidden amongst ridiculous numbers of capital letters is some rather graphic stuffy whic h I, in my naivete? was shocked had been written so far before the 20th century. History is not so tight-laced as many would have one think. Anyway, my overall point is apparently that prostitution was an acceptable, and often recorded way of life in the 18th century, though things got, of course, more restrained as the century wore on and the subtlety of Queen Victoria began to loom large and repressed in the age to come. Also, at this time, there was not as much medical entropy regarding just what venereal diseases could do to someone, and once people began to realize the effects, they began to utilization a little restraint. But, for most of the century, the ladies of the evening enjoyed a profitable and virtually respectable business.