Mapping prostitutes in London in the 18th century

August 7, 2015 1:32 PM

The (in)famous Harris's List of Covent-Garden Ladies, or, Man of Pleasure's Kalender (the 1788 edition on Project Gutenberg) catalogued, often with some of the worst puns and double entendres imaginable, the names and locations of the London prostitutes. The website Romantic London has mapped 93 of the entries. As Romantic London reports:

Harris’s List is lewd and frequently misogynistic, romanticising prostitution while largely silencing the women involved. It commonly fails to account for (and occasionally seems uncomfortably to relish) the suffering and exploitation of those whose histories it affects to encompass. It is sometimes compelling as a composition, but its main use for modern audiences is as a record both of a deeply unpleasant side of eighteenth-century London and of the social attitudes which fostered the kinds of commerce and objectification which it embodies.

posted by anothermug (6 comments total)

Book plug: The Covent Garden Ladies: Pimp General Jack & The Extraordinary Story of Harris' List is fun reading about how this list came together.
posted by cadge at 1:45 PM on August 7, 2015

I am shocked that 18th century whoremongers could be characterized as misogynists.
posted by vorpal bunny at 3:03 PM on August 7, 2015 [4 favorites]

"A deeply unpleasant side of eighteenth-century London and of the social attitudes which fostered the kinds of commerce and objectification which it embodies."

200 years later and these poor women are still the subjects of sanctimony.
posted by Modest House at 3:06 PM on August 7, 2015 [5 favorites]

This text is a hell of a thing. Thanks for the post.
posted by persona au gratin at 3:23 PM on August 7, 2015

Ye olde harlot Yelp.
posted by dr_dank at 3:32 PM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Many English streets now called Grape were originally Gropecunt for the prostitution which thrived on them.
posted by brujita at 7:37 PM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]