Exhibit:

Katherine's Gallery: Pre-Raphaelites

Preview of images

In the pre-raphaelite era, there was a good portion of ridicule toward female sex workers, and it influened their artwork tremendously. Many writers, such as Robert Browining and Christina Rossetti, wrote about the dangers in being a prostitute and where it can lead women to land if they were to live that kind of life. 

Images in this Exhibit

The Reign of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901. Her reign coincided with the Pre-Raphaelite Era if literature. When she passed, she was one of the longest reigned monarchs of Great Britain. (Wikipedia)
Great Britain - Industrialization

Starting in 1851, Great Britain began to flourish economically. The population was rising, railroads were being built, factories had more jobs opening, and there began to be more headway in scientific exploration. The people of Great Britain were starting to become more frazzled since their beliefs were being challenged due to the upsurge in industrialization. Many writers wrote about this and how it made the world an uglier place. They believed that it should stay naturally beautiful. (English Heritage)
The 19th Century Prostitute

Due to the rise in population, there were less jobs available to women, especially those that were lower class. Therefore, many women went into prostitution to be able to support themselves and their children, if they had "illegitimate" children. Many social reformers watched this closely because prostitution became a major concern during the industrialization period. Sex was only supposed to be used for procreation, so what they were doing was considered outlandish and wrong. Since higher class women were finding husbands, they were also following gender standards of the time, which...
Magdalene Asylums

Magdalene Asylums were created in order to help rehabilitate the fallen women. However, they were not as wonderful as they promised and promoted. They were considered prison-like due to the harsh conditions that women faced at these Magdalene Asylums. They were forced to participate in hard manual labor because it was thought that they had to "work away" all of their wrongdoings and sins. When doing so, they were required to wear modest clothing, and they were also in an enforced silence. Those that were running these asylums thought that this would help the women learn the proper way to...
Lock Hospitals

Due to the spread of venereal diseases, Lock Hospitals began to pop up. With prostitution becoming more prominen, venereal diseases began to spread like wild fire. After a while, they became rehabilitation homes for prostitutes. Although, they were not much better than the Magdalene Asylums. (Revisiting Dickens)
What Became of the Ladies of the Night

Many prostitutes that were not able to run from the terrible conditions took their own lives. Considering the lifestyle they were living, prostitutes became addicted to opium. They used it as a means to to escape. After the addiction became too much, they ended up in Magdalene Asylums, where many of them died alone and depressed, and they were ruled suicides. Many women took their own lives in different ways. Many were also murdered during this time. Jack the Ripper became well known due to press coverage of him murdering prostitutes. Many of these deaths, whether they were suicide or not...