Researcher Linda Eversole unveils the city of Victoria’s history of sexual commerce, from the mid-1800s to early 1900s. With the establishment of Fort Victoria and the Hudson’s Bay Company came the influx of transient inhabitants (traders, miners, etc.). Through this time, prostitution flourished. In response, colonizers imposed societal norms of Victorian morality. The growth of moral reform organizations led to the prosecution of sex trade workers and the prevalence of more “discrete” brothels. Included are personal stories revealing the lives of several renowned prostitutes, madams, and brothel owners and the charges brought against them (including court proceedings and verdicts), authenticated through reproductions of newspaper clippings, quotes, and testimonies.

Caution: Intolerance and racism, made obvious by the language used at that time, appear in news articles and quotes.

224 pp., 5.5 × 7.5", b&w photographs, newspaper clippings, maps • Index

Source: Association of Book Publishers of BC - BC Books for Schools (2021-2022)

Linda J. Eversole is a writer and historian with a long career in research, heritage preservation, and museums. Stella: Unrepentant Madam, her biography of Victoria bordello owner Stella Carroll, was published in 2005. She lives in Victoria, BC.

Linda J. Eversole's profile page