Victoria Unbuttoned: A Red-Light History of Bc's Capital City

Download or read book Victoria Unbuttoned: A Red-Light History of Bc's Capital City written by LINDA J. EVERSOLE and published by Touchwood Editions. This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A nuanced history of prostitution in Victoria told through newly uncovered stories of women who lived it. From the establishment of Fort Victoria, BC's capital city has had a long history of prostitution. But little has been written on the lives of the women themselves--some of the most enterprising women in Victoria's past. Instead, these women's stories have been relegated to judgmental newspaper headlines. Now historian Linda J. Eversole takes a deeper look at their lives, from the mid-nineteenth century to the First World War and the Moral Reform movement. Story by story, from the fur trade, through confederation, waves of immigration, and attempts at reform and legislation, Eversole uncovers the histories of the women who made a living, and in some cases a fortune, from the world's oldest profession. With accompanying maps and historical photos, new research, and the support of the descendants of some of her subjects, Eversole presents a nuanced, human series of portraits that enhances our understanding of this important strand of the city's history.