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'The dark side of the City of Brotherly Love (and Sisterly Affection)': Vintage sex guide to Philadelphia from 1849 lists city's 'best 10,000 madams and working girls' in brothels
UK Daily Mail ^ | February 18, 2020 | Ariel Zilber

Posted on 02/18/2020 9:36:32 AM PST by C19fan

A pamphlet published in 1849 offers a guide to Philadelphia’s ‘gay houses’ and brothels, including reviews rating ‘the best madams and working girls’ who can ‘make a man happy.’

The pamphlet is titled A Guide to the Stranger, or Pocket Companion for the Fancy, Containing a List of the Gay Houses and Ladies of Pleasure in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.

It offers a ‘correct list and description of the greater portion of the Houses of Ill-Fame in Philadelphia.’

According to Flashbak, the pamphlet contained reviews of brothels as well as bed houses, or rooms rented by the hour.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: prostitution; sex; victorian
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The pamphlet claimed there were 10,000 prostitutes in Phila at the time. In 1850, Phila had a population of 121,000.
1 posted on 02/18/2020 9:36:32 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

It probably hurts a prostitute’s self esteem to not make the top 10,000 list.


2 posted on 02/18/2020 9:37:24 AM PST by pepsi_junkie (Often wrong, but never in doubt!)
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To: C19fan

There must only be 290,000 today.


3 posted on 02/18/2020 9:39:17 AM PST by immadashell (Save Innocent Lives - ban gun free zones)
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To: C19fan

Guessing “gay house” didn’t have the same meaning back then.


4 posted on 02/18/2020 9:43:10 AM PST by Ken H (Best SOTU ever!)
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To: C19fan

I recall reading about how there once was museum devoted to such things and, among the items shown, was a turn of the century police map of Washington DC that outlined where the brothels were located at the time. Many tended to congregate where congressmen and such others worked or lived.


5 posted on 02/18/2020 9:44:52 AM PST by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966)
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To: C19fan

In fairness, Philadelphia at the time was a major seaport. That’s a multiplier of 10.


6 posted on 02/18/2020 9:46:25 AM PST by sphinx
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To: Ken H
“Gay Street” in nearby Westchester, PA TODAY doesn’t have the same meaning many ascribe to the word.


7 posted on 02/18/2020 9:47:22 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: C19fan

The broth must have been really tasty!


8 posted on 02/18/2020 9:47:56 AM PST by Phil DiBasquette
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To: C19fan

And now we see the fallacy of genealogical family tree research based on written records. Sometimes branches don’t come from where people think they did.


9 posted on 02/18/2020 9:49:37 AM PST by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: C19fan

The City Of Brothel-y Love?


10 posted on 02/18/2020 9:49:55 AM PST by real saxophonist (Everything I Play Gone Be Funky, From Now On)
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To: pepsi_junkie
It probably hurts a prostitute’s self esteem to not make the top 10,000 list.

It probably hurts a John's self esteem to find out his chosen date didn't make the top 10,000 list.

11 posted on 02/18/2020 9:49:57 AM PST by Yo-Yo ( is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: C19fan

No wonder syphilis was so rampant in the 19th century.


12 posted on 02/18/2020 9:51:05 AM PST by Sans-Culotte (With every passing day, I am a little bit gladder that Romney lost in 2012.)
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To: C19fan

Good to know some things stay the same.


13 posted on 02/18/2020 9:52:25 AM PST by bgill
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To: C19fan
Madam Vincent was reportedly unhappy with her review.


14 posted on 02/18/2020 9:52:33 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: DesertRhino
And now we see the fallacy of genealogical family tree research based on written records. Sometimes branches don’t come from where people think they did.

Apparently all these DNA tests are revealing a lot of family scandals. There are stories all over Reddit (and by extension, YouTube).

15 posted on 02/18/2020 9:52:58 AM PST by Disambiguator ("Progressives" want government in action. Conservatives want government inaction.)
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To: sphinx

I also recall reading that places like Cleveland and New Orleans were also quite known for it’s brothel population and activity, for that same reason as being port cities.


16 posted on 02/18/2020 9:55:12 AM PST by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966)
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To: C19fan

I worked in a gas station in HS back in the 70’s. One night a woman came in with a flat tire. We were just about ready to leave but we turned back on the compressor, unlocked the bay doors and fixed it.

Turns out she was the local madam and gave us a little card for a freebie and the location.
No we never used it.


17 posted on 02/18/2020 9:59:02 AM PST by setter
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To: Disambiguator

“Apparently all these DNA tests are revealing a lot of family scandals.”

I know a few guys who really messed around back in the day and are nervous.


18 posted on 02/18/2020 10:00:37 AM PST by setter
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To: C19fan

Similar but different - a book published at the same time detailing the various types of boarding houses in NYC.

https://archive.org/details/physiologyofny00gunnrich/page/n4/mode/2up

It’s an offbeat time capsule that had me in stitches.


19 posted on 02/18/2020 10:06:28 AM PST by BillyBonebrake
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To: OttawaFreeper

“Buffalo girls won’t you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight ….” Most people don’t realize what the song is based on. And Buffalo was just the terminus of the Erie Canal, not even a seaport.


20 posted on 02/18/2020 10:09:02 AM PST by sphinx
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