Fallen Women in Victorian England: Society, Prostitution and the Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman-Hunt

Authors

Kristen Clark, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Prostitution, Victorian England, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman-Hunt

Abstract

Traditional views of the Victorian period are distinguished by the triumph of middle class respectability. However, a deeper look at Victorian England reveals it as an age of double standards. While notorious for strict prudish values and public repression of sexuality, nineteenth-century Britain was also Europe's leader in prostitution and sexual freedom. While publicly practicing staunch morals, society privately attempted to turn a blind eye from the streets where respectable husbands and militia forgot their prudent lifestyle and engaged with various ladies of the night.

Recommended Citation

Clark, Kristen (2009) "Fallen Women in Victorian England: Society, Prostitution and the Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman-Hunt," The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing: Vol. 38: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thetean/vol38/iss1/6