Lieux

Eighteenth-century brothels were spaces with vague and/or fluctuating legal status, functioning as sites of 1) social interactions via sex acts and commerce, 2) public interest and reform efforts to shape civic discourse and laws, and 3) anxiety and/or titillation across a range of print culture, visual and textual alike. This entry explores what we know about the historical reality of sex work and brothels in London and other areas of Great Britain, plus their representation in print and visual culture over the period.