The block of South 2nd Street in Society Hill. In Philadelphia, they may have used this handy booklet detailing the city's "gay houses and ladies of pleasure," a guide printed in and now part of The Library Company of Philadelphia. For example, on Pine Street near 12th, one could find an "elegant house" where a Mrs. O'Neil lived, described as "a splendid woman, and in point of accomplishments and education she was indeed a Queen.
O'Neil sounds preferable over Sarah Ross, on "Passyunk Road, below German," which "is one of the worst conducted houses in the city," perhaps unliked because "the girls, though few in number, are ugly, drunken, and vulgar. Wow, these reviews of Philly brothels can be savage! Similar reviews, in addition to several extremely racist passages, paint a picture of the city almost years ago, when a brothel seemed as common as a Starbucks.
The guide also highlights many historic buildings, easy to find today, that once played host to the world's oldest profession. The space at Pine St. The artifact was printed at a time when parlor house brothels in the U. It was not until the early s that reform around prostitution, specifically against sex slavery in the U.
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