Dressed to Slum: Brothels! A Night with Venus, a Lifetime With Hypocrisy

Dressed to Slum: Brothels! A Night with Venus, a Lifetime With Hypocrisy

Listener Discretion Advised: This episode contains discussions of prostitution, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, infant death, human trafficking, violence against women, and other difficult aspects of Victorian life. Some listeners may find portions of this episode disturbing. Please listen with care. In this episode of Dressed for the Grave, we continue our stroll through the wonderfully rancid world of Victorian slumming, where wealthy Londoners treated poverty like an after-dinner attraction and brothels became one of the more scandalous stops on the tour. We're talking prostitution, syphilis, mercury treatments, the Contagious Diseases Acts, Josephine Butler, Mary Jeffries, baby farming, and more. It's sex, shame, disease, reform, and hypocrisy, all dressed up in gloves and gaslight. Listen now and join us in the graveyard: ☠️ Leave us a rating or review, because it helps other delightfully morbid listeners find us ☠️ Share this episode with a friend who enjoys history, scandal, and a healthy distrust of Victorian respectability -☠️Tell us: which part of Victorian hypocrisy made you want to throw a glove across the room? And remember: Dress to impress yourself, not the coroner. 🖤 Sources Acton, W. (1857) Prostitution, Considered in Its Moral, Social, and Sanitary Aspects, in London and Other Large Cities and Garrison Towns. Available at: https://archive.org/details/prostitutioncons00acto Arnot, M.L. (1994) 'Infant death, child care and the state: the baby-farming scandal and the first infant life protection legislation of 1872', Continuity and Change, 9(2). Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/continuity-and-change/article/infant-death-child-care-and-the-state-the-babyfarming-scandal-and-the-first-infant-life-protection-legislation-of-1872/B309B47188B9987FB185980D0543945E BBC (n.d.) Josephine Butler. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/butler_josephine.shtml Cunnington, C. (2025) Mary Jeffries. Available at: https://clairecunnington.com/2025/02/28/mary-jeffries/ Diniejko, A. (2013) Slums and Slumming in Late-Victorian London. Available at: https://www.victorianweb.org/history/slums.html Hindmarch-Watson, K. (2012) 'Male Prostitution and the London GPO: Telegraph Boys' "Immorality" from Nationalization to the Cleveland Street Scandal', Journal of British Studies. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-british-studies/article/male-prostitution-and-the-london-gpo-telegraph-boys-immorality-from-nationalization-to-the-cleveland-street-scandal/62CFF3F1791076C8AA8A82E8F7DE37E3 Legislation.gov.uk (n.d.) Offences against the Person Act 1861: Attempts to procure abortion. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/24-25/100/crossheading/attempts-to-procure-abortion Pharmaceutical Journal (2016) Syphilis and the use of mercury. Available at: https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/syphilis-and-the-use-of-mercury Science Museum (2023) The history of syphilis part two: Treatments, cures and legislation. Available at: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/history-syphilis-part-two-treatments-cures-and-legislation Sheffield Gender History (n.d.) Josephine Butler, Mary Jeffries and the age of consent campaign. Available at: https://sheffieldgenderhistory.hcommons.org/?p=48 Stead, W.T. (1885) The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon. Available at: https://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/pmg/tribute/ Thames Valley Police Museum (n.d.) The Baby Farmer. Available at: https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/au/about-us/thames-valley-police-museum/the-baby-farmer/ University of Iowa (n.d.) Josephine Butler and the Campaign Against the Contagious Diseases Acts. Available at: https://victorianfboos.studio.uiowa.edu/josephine-butler-and-campaign-against-contagious-diseases-acts

Tangisode: Lilith - the Original Difficult Woman

Was Lilith truly Adam's first wife, or is that one of history's most successful pieces of mythological gossip? In this Tangisode, we follow Lilith's extraordinary journey across nearly 5,000 years of history. From her origins in ancient Mesopotamian demonology to her brief appearance in the Book of Isaiah, from medieval folklore's rebellious first wife to the Victorian era's dangerous beauty, and finally to her modern reinvention as a symbol of feminine autonomy. Along the way, we'll explore childbirth fears, demons of the night, Victorian femme fatales, feminist reclamation, and why societies throughout history have been deeply uncomfortable with women who refuse to do as they're told. Was Lilith a monster, a warning, a scapegoat, or simply a woman who walked away? Pull up a chair. This one's been causing trouble for thousands of years. Help Support the Show 🖤 Follow, rate, and review Dressed for the Grave 🖤 Share this episode with your favorite difficult woman 🖤 Follow us on social media for episode updates, history, and darkly delightful content Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dressedforthegravepod] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@dressedforthegravepod] Substack [https://substack.com/@dressedforthegravepod] 🖤 Tell us: Was Lilith unfairly demonized, or do you think history got it right? And remember: Dress to impress yourself, not the coroner. . . Sources * The Alphabet of Ben Sira (c. 8th-10th Century CE) * Patai, Raphael. The Hebrew Goddess * Hurwitz, Siegmund. Lilith: The First Eve * Schwartz, Howard. Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism * Jewish Women's Archive * Delaware Art Museum, Lady Lilith by Dante Gabriel Rossetti * ESOTERICA (Dr. Justin Sledge)

Dressed to Slum: Penny Dreadful and the Love of Murder, Monsters, and the Urban Underworld

Dressed to Slum: Penny Dreadfuls and the Love of Murder, Monsters, and the Urban Underworld Before true crime podcasts, horror films, and dark tourism, there were Penny Dreadfuls. For just one penny, Victorian readers could dive into tales of murder, monsters, vampires, highwaymen, and urban legends. In this episode, we explore the sensational stories that captivated nineteenth-century Britain, sparked fears about corrupting the youth, and helped transform London's underworld into a place of fascination. From Sweeney Todd and Varney the Vampire to Spring-Heeled Jack and the rise of slumming, discover how Victorian society's obsession with crime, scandal, and the macabre helped shape the entertainment we still consume today. 🖤 Love the episode? Help support the show: * Follow and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts * Leave us a rating and review * Share the episode with your favorite history-loving ghoul * Follow us on social media for more fashion, history, and mayhem TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@dressedforthegravepod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dressedforthegravepod] Substack [https://substack.com/@dressedforthegravepod] 🖤 Tell us: Which Penny Dreadful character would you have spent your hard-earned penny on? And remember: Dress to impress yourself, not the coroner. 🖤 Sources * Altick, Richard D. Victorian People and Ideas. W.W. Norton & Company, 1973. * Britannica. Penny Dreadful. https://www.britannica.com/art/penny-dreadful [https://www.britannica.com/art/penny-dreadful] * Edward Lloyd Project. Edward Lloyd. https://edwardlloyd.org [https://edwardlloyd.org] * Koven, Seth. Slumming: Sexual and Social Politics in Victorian London. Princeton University Press, 2004. * Springhall, John. Youth, Popular Culture and Moral Panics: Penny Gaffs to Gangsta Rap, 1830-1996. St. Martin's Press, 1994. * Rymer, James Malcolm. Varney the Vampire; or, The Feast of Blood (1845-1847). * Reynolds, George W. M. The Mysteries of London (1844-1848).

Tangisode: Sawney Bean and Scotland's Cannibal Clan (Maybe)

In this Tangisode, Melissa and Noelle venture into one of Britain's most gruesome legends. They unravel the tale of Sawney Bean, the man allegedly responsible for decades of murder, cannibalism, and terror, while leading a clan said to number nearly fifty family members. Join us we separate fact from folklore and why Victorians couldn't get enough of Scotland's most infamous cannibal. Grab a snack... preferably not a meat pie. 🎙️ If you enjoyed this Tangisode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share the show with your fellow history-loving ghouls. 📱 Follow along on social media for episode artwork, behind-the-scenes content, and more historical tales that prove reality is often stranger than fiction. tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@dressedforthegravepod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dressedforthegravepod] Substack [https://substack.com/@dressedforthegravepod] And remember: Dress to impress yourself, not the coroner. 🖤

Dressed for the Slums: The Fashionable Art of Poor Decisions

Before there was dark tourism, there was Victorian slumming. And, in this episode, we're tracing the origins of one of the strangest social trends of the Victorian era. This is the first installment in our slumming series, where we'll explore how curiosity, compassion, spectacle, and poor decision-making collided to create a cultural phenomenon. So hold onto your bootstraps. We're starting at the beginning. 🖤 We Want to hear from you. Let us know what want to hear about. Leave us a message on our Subtack [https://substack.com/@dressedforthegravepod], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dressedforthegravepod], or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@dressedforthegravepod]. Or email us at dressedforthegrave@gmail.com ✨ Follow, rate, review, and share with your fellow fashionable heathens. And remember: Dress to impress yourself, not the coroner. Sources For this Episode: Mayhew, Henry. London Labour and the London Poor (1861-1862). Booth, Charles. Life and Labour of the People in London (1889-1903).Riis, Jacob. How the Other Half Lives (1890). Engels, Friedrich. The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845). Koven, Seth. Slumming: Sexual and Social Politics in Victorian London. Princeton University Press, 2004. Walkowitz, Judith R. City of Dreadful Delight: Narratives of Sexual Danger in Late-Victorian London. University of Chicago Press, 1992. Wohl, Anthony S. The Eternal Slum: Housing and Social Policy in Victorian London. 1977. Jones, Gareth Stedman. Outcast London. Oxford University Press, 1971. James, Louis. Fiction for the Working Man, 1830-1850. Oxford University Press, 1963. Springhall, John. Youth, Popular Culture and Moral Panics: Penny Gaffs to Gangsta Rap. Macmillan, 1998. Booth, William. In Darkest England and the Way Out. Salvation Army Publications, 1890. Meacham, Standish. Toynbee Hall and Social Reform, 1880-1914. Yale University Press, 1987. Whyte, Frederic. The Life of the Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain. Contains accounts of Victorian social reform and settlement work. France Today. "The Art of Survival: The Transformation of Montmartre." 2023. Moulin Rouge Official History. "The Great Periods of the Moulin Rouge." 2026. Chrisafis, Angelique. "Limbs, Lingerie and Riotous High-Kicking: The Scandalous History of the Cancan." The Guardian, 2025.