Thought I'd post something a little different:

"The Gentlemen's Companion" is a pocket sized guide, The Erotic Review and Eros Guide of it's time, but much tamer and in some ways more respectable. It was easily accessible at Manhattan news stands during the 1870s, listing 150 establishments, though historian Timothy J Filfoyle estimates there were 500 brothels in New York at the time.

In this book's introduction, the author claims to "impart information that is not generally known, even to old denizens of the city, and give him an insight into the character and doings of people whose deeds are carefully screened from public view". Despite this rather easy access to information on over a hundred brothels, the writer of the Companion obviously feels the need to exonerate himself when under the scrutiny of puritanical eyes. In his defense he states: "We point out the location of these places in order that the reader may know how to avoid them, and that he may not select one of them for his boarding house when he comes into the city… like a warning voice to the unwary." Of course there is a pun here, for he also intends on helping naive procurers of female charms from having unpleasant experiences, his book "warned the inexperienced mariner to sheer off, lest he should be a wreckage on a dangerous and unknown coast."

The book projects a very warm and refreshing attitude toward women of desire, while still acknowledging that unsavory characters exist to the detriment of all involved. Ladies are depicted as being educated and intelligent, as well as beautiful. In a spirit of delight he describes locations where "an hour cannot be spent more pleasantly".

In 1859 a similar such book called Directory to the Seraglios, was published - I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy. The Gentlemen's Companion explains that in the last decade since the original publication New York had undergone great change, both as a physical city and in its moral fabric, thus offering an updated guide. Much like our modern age, there were terms associated with the different incarnations of Ladies of Leisure, granted without the modern day tendency to turn terminology into an alphabet soup of acronyms and menu items. Physical acts are never described or mentioned, nor are rates.

At the back of the guide is a list to books, which I assume are erotic in nature. Included amongst these is "Dr. Groves' Marriage Guide" for sale at fifty cents ($8.51 today). This 310 page book explores the "wonderful, marvelous and mysterious... great secrets". It apparently touches on "new revelations in physiology and philosophy."

The last page contains an advertisement for imported French male safes, " a perfect shield against disease or conception, made of both skin and India rubber". They sold for $2-$4 ($34 - $68 in modern value) for half a dozen. Ladies protectors sold for $3 each ($51 in modern value).

Bellow this medical services are offered: "Ladies cured at one interview with or without medicine $4. Regulating Pills $6 ($102 in modern value)". The ad bellow it boasts of curing illness without mercury.

The Companion can be a tedious read, so I have taken the time to summarize the information contained.

You can download a copy of the PDF here:
http://www.courtesanculture.com/courtesans/1870.pdf


TERMINOLOGY

Cruisers and Nymphe de Pave
The book starts with ever famous Broadway, explaining that between 7pm and 11 many beautiful women between 15 and 25 find themselves roaming the streets, unaccompanied by a gentleman. They were described as well groomed and attractive.

Badgers and Panel Thieves
It seems there has always been an infestation of dishonesty, despite all the good souls who find their way into the world of professional companionship. Badgers traveled in groups of three or four, taking up a floor in a house with other tenants. They rob their customers, whether poor or rich, depending on the victim's sense of guilt and fear of exposure to keep them silent. When they sense that a gentlemen might turn them into the authorities, the premises is quickly vacated and re-establish elsewhere. The author warns that badgers are often the best attired of all women, and encourages men to alert the authorities of their behaviour, to keep the scene clean for the honourable ladies. He closes with, "They are in our public streets what sharks are in the ocean."

Pretty Waiter System
An example of this is a large hall extending from Broadway to Mercer. Unfortunately no further information is shared, suggesting that in it's time it was probably common knowledge.

House of Assignation

It seems quite a few residents were kept without any lady boarders. The rooms were made available to secret lovers needing a nest for their private trysts.

Boarding Houses and Parlours

It's hard to distinguish the difference between the two. Perhaps the ladies in boarding houses also lived there. They kept between four and seven lady boarders at any given time, the most being as many as twelve. A small number made rooms available to gentlemen who would bring their own lady. Others preferred to rent rooms out to "enterprising young ladies".


NEIGHBOURHOODS

You can view a map of all the establishments listed here:

http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=215221941963213910351.0004b028cc471ca83f307&msa=0

Those familiar with the streets of New York City will find themselves amused, imagining familiar streets littered with brothels and young women roaming the streets. The Strand bookstore, for example, was once Mrs. Fulton's house of assignation.

Only two locations are describe on Greene St., though many are listed as having rooms available. The author does make a point of warning the reader of the foul nature of this neighbourhood, often called on by police and prone to fights. He states: "The scenes enacted here, the filth and turmoil would lead a stranger to suppose that he was in Baden Baden or that old Sodom and Gomorrah had risen from their ashes to greet the sun once more."

Gramercy had mostly houses of assignation, most unworthy of note. Chelsea was another heavily populated area, most of these were boarding houses and some of the nicest in the city. One of which was the famous Hotel De Wood, popular with foreign gentlemen and rumoured to have $10,000 in artwork alone, the equivalent of about $170, 000 today. It also had some of the most intriguing locations, including a "Ladies Seminary", and Genis Furnishing Goods where the lady clerks were most amiable to male patrons.


REVIEWS

It seems only a small handful of locations were owned by gentlemen. The majority were female run, interestingly the women were frequently married. A great deal of the locations mentioned only warranted a few words, and most are rather neutral. Often there is only a passing mention of whether it is a first, second or third class house. The author does seem to make a point of highlighting which establishments are called upon by elite citizens.

The various locations are most commonly described as conducted in a respectable, quiet and orderly manner, a most logical and necessary observation for those who would be in need of such a guide. Other frequent descriptions included tidy, pleasant, that every attention is paid to visitors, sometimes including a comment on the furnishings. The women themselves are rarely described, generally referred to as attractive, well mannered, charming, cheerful and pleasing. Interestingly, there is never a mention of price. The demeanor of the women who run these establishments is quite frequently commented on, even when little is said about the women they house. A fun loving, good natured landlady is understandably favoured by the author.

It is no surprise that advertisers in the guide get the most elaborate and complimentary reviews. Some things never change!!!!!