Book Review

London's Sinful Secret: The Bawdy History and Very Public Passions of London's Georgian Age by Dan Cruickshank

 

This book takes place during the decadent times during the reign of George the IV and his descendants right through the regency. It was a time of excess, where men were dandies, in wigs makeup and high heels, and women were...well not much different then they had always been. They were still the chattel of men and had no voice in public or private life. It was this period that spawned the repressed and repressive society that became Victorian England. It was a reaction in the opposite direction to the "perversions" and "freedoms" of the previous generation. None of it changed it just went underground and was not discussed by polite society. 

 

Except there was one type of woman, who if she was smart and savvy, could live a life almost as free as any man, as long as she let those same men use her body in any way they saw fit and that is the Courtesan. Courtesan's were the superstars of their times. They were written about, were arbiters of fashion, courted by high society men while being shunned and hated by high society women.  They were the muses of painters, stars of the stage and intellectuals and some even married and became great ladies of the land like Lady Hamilton. They were also the lucky few. All courtesan's started out as prostitutes, sometimes when they were little more then children and most prostitutes died as prostitutes, used up by the time they were 25. Dead of drink, disease or abuse. And this book is all about the seamy underbelly of London that supported this vast underground of debauchery and vice.

 

For the most part, this was an extremely enjoyable book. I loved all the contemporary sources from newspapers, journals, court transcripts and books. The author talks a lot about a guide to London's prostitutes that lists where they live, what they look like and what they specialize in. This book felt very like a time capsule to me. I could almost see the 2 penny strumpets shouting out for customers on street corners, smell the dirt and filth and hear the horses. Many of the anecdotal stories and people that populated the book were of incidents and personages I had never heard of before. Others, like Kitty Fisher (muse of painter Joshua Reynolds) I had read about in other books. I found it fascinating to learn that much of London's Georgian buildings were built to support the sex trade. These buildings were high end brothels or used for support of the industry.The chapters about the poor houses and the foundling homes were for me especially fascinating.  I did find the book a little long and a bit repetitive and I don't like when a book talks about paintings and the models but does not show them. Just put a copy in the book for God sake. Other then that, I would recommend this book as a fun and informative read about a side of history not often discussed. There was just so much information written in a easy to read style. There were plenty of pictures but as I said earlier, not as many as I would have liked. This book could very easily have a coffee table companion. I look forward to reading more by this author.