Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society cover image

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

Victorian London's Hidden Porn Trade

Sep 12, 2023
Dr. Matthew Green, author of Shadowlands: A Journey Through Lost Britain, joins to uncover the scandalous and erotic world of Victorian London's hidden porn trade. They explore the characteristics of Holywell Street, the emergence of photography, the challenges faced by photographers, the popularity of Victorian pornography, and the harsh conditions of imprisonment. They also discuss the guest speaker's previous works and their upcoming book.
43:15

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Despite the Victorians' prudish reputation, Victorian London had a thriving porn trade centered around Hollywell Street, demonstrating a strong appetite for explicit literature and challenging societal norms and expectations.
  • William Dugdale, the pioneer of the porn trade in Hollywell Street, was a cunning entrepreneur who utilized subterfuge to evade authorities, ultimately becoming one of the early casualties of the Obscene Publications Act.

Deep dives

Victorians' Love for Filthy Literature: A Journey through Hollywell Street

Hollywell Street in Victorian London was a hub of pornography and smutty bookshops, attracting people with risqué literature and explicit titles. Despite the Victorians' prudish reputation, they had a strong appetite for porn, and Hollywell Street became the epicenter of the porn trade. William Dugdale, the first "porn baron," thrived in this business, utilizing subterfuge and changing addresses to evade authorities. He published and sold a variety of explicit works, exploiting the demand for sexual fiction. The authorities made efforts to shut down Hollywell Street, citing traffic congestion as a reason for demolition. In 1901, the street was destroyed, leading the porn industry to move westward, eventually establishing a presence in Soho. Victorian porn, often explicit and bordering on assault, was characterized by a distinctive writing style, combining formal, florid language with explicit sexual descriptions. Flagellation was a popular theme in Victorian erotica, intertwining punishment and sexual desire. Despite attempted suppression, the demand for porn persisted, and the legacy of Hollywell Street and its explicit literature lives on.

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