Map of New York “Dens of Iniquity” c. 1870

“Approximate locations of 153 houses of prostitution, circa 1870, as catalogued by “The Gentleman’s Directory“

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47 W. 27TH STREET

“is presided over by Jenny Mitchell, a very agreeable and entertaining lady, who has 4 highly accomplished young lady boarders,” the Directory asserts. With elaborate furnishings, it is “a first class house.”

105 WEST 27TH STREET

on the other hand, is a “second class establishment” where “the landlady and her servants are as sour as her wine.”

BROADWAY

Beware the many “well-dressed and comely females … unattended by companions of the other sex,” who can be seen along the boulevard. For these are “Nymphes de Pave” — streetwalkers — who have “robbed many an unsuspecting stranger of his all.”

25 EAST HOUSTON

A large red lamp marks the establishment of Harry Hill, where “an hour cannot be spent more pleasantly.”

25 WEST HOUSTON

A “great resort for sportsmen both of this and of the other country,” where “everything is conducted in a respectable and orderly manner.”

84 WEST HOUSTON

The “bewitching smiles of the fairy-like creatures who devote themselves to the service of Cupid” here “are unrivalled by any of the fine ladies who walk Broadway in silks and satins new.”

GREENE STREET

“In the short space of six squares, included between Canal and Bleecker streets there are 41 houses containing barrooms, 8 houses of assignation, 22 houses in which furnished rooms are let to girls, and 11 segar stores. With few exceptions, these houses are of the third class.”

…..

Map by Ford Fessenden and Erin Agner / The New York Times

Thank you to Katie Nichols

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