Brides of the Multitude
by Jeremy Agnew
Brides of the Multitude is a fascinating, historically accurate account of why prostitution was so rampant in the Old West during the prudish Victorian era in the United States. It explains who these women were, the reasons they became prostitutes, the different types of establishments of prostitution, the conditions under which they worked, and the problems with sexually transmitted diseases and contraception. Author Jeremy Agnew points out the hard conditions under which they struggled; the difference of prostitutes in ranching, mining or other types of towns; and relates their sometimes heart-rending stories. Weaving fact and colorful anecdotes, the author has created a fascinating look at the women of untroubled virtue, who filled the red light districts all over the West. Along the way, the author busts many of the myths associated with prostitution in the Old West and points out the difference between rural and urban soiled doves, and Eastern and Western prostitutes; as well as the social order of the different types of the Brides of the Multitude. In frank, but not graphic terms, Agnew brings to light the details of a subject that is not easy to research, but which was an integral part of everyday life in the West. Born in England, Jeremy Agnew graduated from the University of Colorado, married a Colorado native, and has since worked for many years in the biomedical electronics industry. He loves the outdoors in Colorado and researching and writing Western history in general. He has written books on many subjects, including Exploring the Colorado High Country (Wildwood Press, 1977), Colorado Above Treeline (Westcliffe Publishing, 2005), and Life of A Soldier on the Western Frontier (Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2008). He has also written articles for Empire Magazine and other publications on the West and the outdoors.
- Published
- 2008
- ISBN
- 9781932738490
- Pages
- 256
- Place
- Colorado
- Publisher
- Western Reflections Pub. Co.
- Listed at
- $19.95
Publication details from Open Library. The price shown is the last one on record and is historic, not a current offer.
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About this book
Brides of the Multitude takes on a question that the Victorian West seemed to want to ignore: why prostitution was so common on the frontier at a time when public manners were strict. Jeremy Agnew's book calls itself a historically accurate account, and sets out to explain who the women were and what led them into the trade.
The book then looks at the places they worked. It describes the different kinds of establishments, the conditions inside them, and the problems of disease and contraception that came with the business. The Colorado College Bulletin adds that it covers the women of the frontier's red light districts, debunks many myths, and mixes facts with anecdotes.
This is nonfiction history from Western Reflections, published in 2008. Google Books lists it as an illustrated edition.
What is inside
Why it was so common
The book explains why prostitution was widespread in the Old West despite Victorian attitudes.
Who the women were
It looks at the women and their reasons for entering the trade.
Types of establishments
It describes the different kinds of establishments in which the women worked.
Working conditions
It covers the conditions the women worked under.
Disease and contraception
It takes up the health problems the trade brought, including disease and contraception.
Myths debunked
The Colorado College Bulletin says the book debunks many myths about the subject.
Who it is for
Brides of the Multitude is for readers of Old West social history who want to understand the lives of women in frontier red light districts. It treats a sensitive subject as history, with attention to working conditions and health, and it will interest anyone who has met this part of the West only through film and fiction.
Ways to use this book
Checking a local legend
Many towns tell stories about a historic house or district. If you hear one, look for a documented case like Denver's Market Street in the History Colorado article, then ask your local historical society what records exist for your town before repeating the story.
Tracing women in a family tree
Researchers sometimes find a female ancestor in Western census or court records. The Denver Public Library's Western History collection is a sensible place to ask what Colorado holdings apply.
Reading further on the same decades
Look at the library's history category for books on lawmen and frontier life, which cover the same years from a different angle.
Go deeper
Brides of the Multitude looks at prostitution across the Victorian West. Colorado has well documented examples, and these resources show where a reader can find the local history, photographs and archives behind the subject.
The Women of Market Street
A History Colorado story about Denver's red light district, known as The Row, on Market Street between Eighteenth and Twenty Third Streets. It draws on Caroline Bancroft's 1965 book Six Racy Madams of Colorado.
History Colorado: Women of Market Street → (opens in a new tab)
Western History Collection
The Denver Public Library's collection on the Trans-Mississippi West, with particular strengths in the history of Denver and Colorado and a large body of photographs and other images.
Denver Public Library: Western History → (opens in a new tab)
Center for Colorado Women's History
One of the museums on History Colorado's list of sites, listed on its museums page alongside the Colorado History Museum and El Pueblo History Museum. Check that page for programs and visiting details.
History Colorado: Our Museums and Sites → (opens in a new tab)
Good to know
Is the book fiction or nonfiction?
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