Anne Seagraves

In Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West, Anne Seagraves argues, “The ‘soiled doves’ and red light districts were as much a part of the early West as the piles of mine tailings, canvas shacks and garish saloons that dotted the landscape. These ambitious ladies were caught up in the excitement of the frontier and the high demand for their professional services” (pg. xvii). Working within the gray market, these sex workers were not always ostracized and many “spread a silken web of good deeds that sparkled in the wilderness. They contributed to the local charities, hospitals and churches and were the first to lend a hand during a disaster, or offer assistance to the survivors” (pg. xviii). In this, Seagraves works to recover the narratives of these women whose experiences challenge the romanticized view of the West or of pioneer settlement, drawing upon the women’s own diaries, newspaper accounts, contemporary publications, and even the family histories of their descendants to portray them as three-dimensional individuals who contributed to the character of the West. Seagraves draws upon some other books with citations for those interested in reading more, but several of her stories and photographs have not previously appeared in print. While not up to the standards of pure academic history, this serves as a good introductory read for those with a casual interest in history and, most importantly, can encourage further reading. Soiled Doves will appeal to those interested both in the history of the American West and those interested in women’s history.… (altro)

"Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West," by Anne Seagraves, purports to tell the stories of individual prostitutes in the Western USA from about the 1850s or so, complete with early photographs of some of the women and contemporary accounts in local newspapers, etc. But, well, I couldn’t begin to get through it, simply because of totally incorrect statements, starting with the Forward: “Queen Victoria’s strict morality temporarily put a halt to prostitution in England in the 1800s.” Um, no, prostitution was thriving throughout Victoria’s reign, and women in the profession were exceptionally vulnerable because of “strict morality” laws, which gave them no protection against, well, anybody. Then, in the Introduction, consider this description of women in 1800s America who moved West: “Many of these women came from other countries to escape poverty. They usually had no funds and the majority were uneducated and did not speak English.” Um, no, many women moved West with their families, and most of them weren’t prostitutes. Later, “the soiled doves were good for the western economy and helped support the community. They spent their money locally, buying fancy clothing, expensive wines and ornamental jewelry.” Well, um, those commodities weren’t made in the community, they were imported and the locals by no means got the lion’s share of the profits….Well, this is all before Chapter One, and I was just done. I looked at the photos, which might be of interest in the future, but there’s no list of photography supplying their province, no notes, a rather skimpy bibliography and, for no reason I can fathom, a glossary of terms. Very disappointing.… (altro)

This book was loaned to me by a colleague at work who knows of my general interest in history, and particular interests in the history of western expansion, and areas/topics that are oft overlooked. This book fits well into all those categories. For such a serious topic, its a light read. The author's tone dances between fawning tales of glamour long past, and shock and disdain at the tawdriness of it all. The general approach was more incident or vignette driven, than large scale analytic--and felt like a collection of brief biographies with a few brief essays thrown in for transitional context. All in all, not a great work of history, but a fine one. It certainly filled in some holes of my knowledge of larger social trends in the west, and brought details to the real lives of women whose names are often more familiar than their stories.

(2014 Review #10)… (altro)