Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West (Women of the West)
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Nonfiction
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Nonfiction
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 10
Title: Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West
Author: Anne Seagraves
ISBN: 096190884X/ Wesanne Publications
Women's History
Rating: B
First Line: The heyday of prostitution, in America, occurred during the turbulent years of the early West when women were at a premium.
In the early years of the West, the average was two women for every one hundred men. Women were definitely at a premium, and I can imagine that what few men managed to have their wives and daughters with them kept a very close eye on them. Most men came west to make their fortunes. It was back-breaking work, and few realized their dreams. But whether they made their fortunes or not, when they took a day off, they wanted to spend their hard-earned cash on some comfort, and much of that comfort came from prostitutes.
Seagraves gives an overview of prostitution in this era, and it was a very stratified society: from the courtesans at the very top, all the way down to the illiterate and desperate women in the cribs. Most of the book is told in vignettes of different women who, for whatever reason, chose this way of life and made a name for themselves. Although Seagraves does mention famous women like Lola Montez and Calamity Jane, she's at her best when telling us about the lives of the less famous like Mattie Silks of Holladay Street in Denver and Julia Bulette of Virginia City, Nevada. Interspersed with photographs and articles from newspapers of the day, Soiled Doves is fascinating and often poignant reading. Although I found the transitions from general history to personal stories a bit choppy, the information I learned from the book more than made up for any slight awkwardness. My mind--ever the collector of bits of trivia--has already stored away two tidbits: (1) what the railroad has to do with areas of prostitution being known as the "red light district", and (2) so many prostitutes owned poodles as pets that no "decent" woman would have one.
I have to admit that, as I read this book, my mind kept going to one old mining town in particular: Jerome, Arizona. You see, I've walked through the cribs there, seen an old bordello that's now a restaurant, and seen a sign that made me wonder just who Belgian Jennie was. Prostitutes performed vital functions in the Old West, and not just the one of which you always think. Some of them left the profession and married well. Most didn't. Some of them lived in comfort to a ripe old age. Most didn't. However their lives ended, they were an important part of the fabric of the Old West.
Author: Anne Seagraves
ISBN: 096190884X/ Wesanne Publications
Women's History
Rating: B
First Line: The heyday of prostitution, in America, occurred during the turbulent years of the early West when women were at a premium.
In the early years of the West, the average was two women for every one hundred men. Women were definitely at a premium, and I can imagine that what few men managed to have their wives and daughters with them kept a very close eye on them. Most men came west to make their fortunes. It was back-breaking work, and few realized their dreams. But whether they made their fortunes or not, when they took a day off, they wanted to spend their hard-earned cash on some comfort, and much of that comfort came from prostitutes.
Seagraves gives an overview of prostitution in this era, and it was a very stratified society: from the courtesans at the very top, all the way down to the illiterate and desperate women in the cribs. Most of the book is told in vignettes of different women who, for whatever reason, chose this way of life and made a name for themselves. Although Seagraves does mention famous women like Lola Montez and Calamity Jane, she's at her best when telling us about the lives of the less famous like Mattie Silks of Holladay Street in Denver and Julia Bulette of Virginia City, Nevada. Interspersed with photographs and articles from newspapers of the day, Soiled Doves is fascinating and often poignant reading. Although I found the transitions from general history to personal stories a bit choppy, the information I learned from the book more than made up for any slight awkwardness. My mind--ever the collector of bits of trivia--has already stored away two tidbits: (1) what the railroad has to do with areas of prostitution being known as the "red light district", and (2) so many prostitutes owned poodles as pets that no "decent" woman would have one.
I have to admit that, as I read this book, my mind kept going to one old mining town in particular: Jerome, Arizona. You see, I've walked through the cribs there, seen an old bordello that's now a restaurant, and seen a sign that made me wonder just who Belgian Jennie was. Prostitutes performed vital functions in the Old West, and not just the one of which you always think. Some of them left the profession and married well. Most didn't. Some of them lived in comfort to a ripe old age. Most didn't. However their lives ended, they were an important part of the fabric of the Old West.
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