Homework 7

City of Eros, Chapter 8,

"Bawdy Houses"

CAN THIS BE TURNED IN LATE?: NO

BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE FILE-NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR THIS COURSE (5% penalty if you do not).

All files should be saved on your computer as: your last name, followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the first two letters of your first name, followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the assignment number. So if a student named Saddam Hussein were to submit assignment number 7, the file name would be:

hussein_sa_7.doc

THIS IS ASSIGNMENT 7

1)  As the author notes (and as Anthony Comstock fumed over), the brothel had, by the second half of the nineteenth century, become more than simply a place to purchase sexual intercourse.  What had the brothel become for New Yorkers in this time period (be sure to specify the importance of the brothel to both women and men) and how did this differ from what the brothel had been earlier in New York History?  Be sure to read to the top of p. 165 before answering this question. BE SPECIFIC AND USE YOUR OWN WORDS. LIKELY YOU WILL NEED FIVE SENTENCES FOR A COMPLETE ANSWER.

2) As the author notes, two broad categories of brothels emerged in this time period: “parlor houses” (also known as “private houses”) and “public houses.”

Parlor houses often charged five dollars per customer.  In this question, you will explore howthat compare with today’s prices for sex workers who advertise on the internet.

First, we need to figure out what $5.00 in 1860 would be in 2014 dollars (inflation lowers the purchasing power of a dollar over time).

So, use this website to calculate the value of five 1860 dollars in 2014 dollars.

http://futureboy.homeip.net/fsp/dollar.fsp

Then, look at this recent ad for a sexual service from a website we will be using later in the semester for our final projects.  Locate the price for intercourse on this ad.

Now compare this price to the price in 2014 of parlor houses in 1860.

3) How did changing structure of city land use and domestic arrangements alter prostitution in this period. BE SPECIFIC AND USE YOUR OWN WORDS. LIKELY YOU WILL NEED FIVE SENTENCES FOR A COMPLETE ANSWER.

4) Explain how profitable linkages connected brothels, New York city government, and the real estate industry. BE SPECIFIC AND USE YOUR OWN WORDS. LIKELY YOU WILL NEED FOUR SENTENCES FOR A COMPLETE ANSWER.

5) What is a house of assignation, how did it differ from a brothel, and how did such houses change sexual practices in New York’s residential neighborhoods?BE SPECIFIC AND USE YOUR OWN WORDS. LIKELY YOU WILL NEED THREE TO FOUR SENTENCES FOR A COMPLETE ANSWER.