1st Edition

Archaeology of a Brothel in Nineteenth-Century Boston, MA Erotic Facades

By Jade W. Luiz Copyright 2023
172 Pages 14 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

172 Pages 14 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

172 Pages 14 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Archaeology of a Brothel in Nineteenth-Century Boston, MA provides an accessible and thought-provoking account of the archaeological understanding of nineteenth-century prostitution in Boston, Massachusetts. The book explores how the practice of nineteenth-century sex work involved a careful construction of fantasy for brothel customers. This fantasy had the potential to provide financial... Read more

    1. A Quiet House: An Introduction; 2. The "Social Evil" in the City On a Hill: Boston, Massachusetts, and Prostitution in the Nineteenth Century; 3. Finely Dressed and Very Accomplished: Identity, Gender, Sexuality, and Race in Nineteenth-Century Sex Work; 4. "The Common Enemy of the Family": Sex Work and the Inversion of the Nineteenth-Century Family; 5. "It Is the Devil’s Business": Acceptable Labor, Clandestine Labor, and Sex Work; 6. Cultivated Bodies, Cultivated Spaces: Control, Manipulation, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Sex Work; 7. Conclusion: Why Should We Care About the Lives of Nineteenth-Century Sex Workers?

    Biography

    Dr. Jade Luiz received her Ph.D. from Boston University in 2018. She specializes in historical archaeology, nineteenth-century urbanism, gender, and archaeology of the senses. In particular, her research delves into the history of nineteenth-century prostitution, focusing on an archaeological collection from a North End brothel on Endicott Street. Currently she is an assistant professor of anthropology at Metropolitan State University of Denver.