That Guilty Third Tier: Prostitution in Nineteenth-Century American Theaters

Johnson, Claudia Durst

doi:10.2307/2712442

Cited by 34 publications

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“…Society in 19-Century held a certain attitude towards actresses because they were known to be corrupted; as actresses were usually associated with prostitution at that period [13], [14]. The heroine of Behind a Mask, though a former actress, she tried her to hide her true identity from the Coventrys; she knew the reaction resulting from people knowing her career; society holds multiple prejudices against her because she is a woman, from a lower class, and her career is a degrading one.…”

Section: Thank You I Have An Inveterate Aversion To the Whole Tribementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the 19-century, several theaters were opened; most of these theaters were famous for having what was called the third tier: "Theaters in most American cities were designed expressly to house prostitutes in the third tier, but as quietly as possible" [14]. The third tier was known as a domain of prostitutes in a theater house and it was famous in American theaters to have such a gallery for prostitutes; "The primary business of the gallery was not to watch the play but to make arrangements for the rest of the evening.…”

Section: Am An Actress-by Law Proscribed By the Church Excommunicamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The third tier was known as a domain of prostitutes in a theater house and it was famous in American theaters to have such a gallery for prostitutes; "The primary business of the gallery was not to watch the play but to make arrangements for the rest of the evening. Having met in the tier, the prostitutes and their customers might go directly to a house of prostitution" [14]. Hence, the society condoms the spectators of theaters as much as the actresses, as they might carry the foul reputation of wanting to be there for the ladies not the show, Gosson positively declares that the typical theater audience enclosed of a number of whores, pimps, bawds, and eager customers" [20].…”

Section: Am An Actress-by Law Proscribed By the Church Excommunicamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring “Her” Depictions of the 19th Century Social Transactions in Alcott’s Behind the Mask

Bokir¹

2017

IJLLL

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Abstract-Behind the Mask is one of Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) successful short fiction, though did not reached the fame of the other novels like Little women, still it is considered one of the remarkable works of Alcott. In the novella, Alcott delivered a well representation of the social and economical positions of women in 19 th century; and how a lot of women were obliged to earn their living though they are from the genteel class.Alcott depicts women's socio-cultural challenges in the 19 th century English society through her protagonist's struggle for a better social status against numerous social prejudices she encounters. In this paper, I will identify, explore and investigate these social prejudices through the theory of the intersectional feminism point of view that discusses the intersectionality of class and gender that has been shown to have a visible impact on the labor market for females in the 19 th century Europe.Index Terms-Louisa May Alcott, Behind the Mask, intersectionality, feminism.

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Section: Thank You I Have An Inveterate Aversion To the Whole Tribementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Am An Actress-by Law Proscribed By the Church Excommunicamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Am An Actress-by Law Proscribed By the Church Excommunicamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring “Her” Depictions of the 19th Century Social Transactions in Alcott’s Behind the Mask

Bokir¹

2017

IJLLL

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“…According to them, women became ruined and necessarily lived shameful lives by their mere exposure to such vice. 72 The women patrons no doubt thought otherwise. They surely knew that prostitutes frequented these spaces but did not feel morally contaminated by them.…”

Section: The Significance Of Female Patronsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Like to Get Around”

Wiltse

2013

Journal of Urban History

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This article examines the previously unstudied history of Chicago's nineteenth-century music saloons, tracing their development from transplanted German beer halls to Americanized entertainment resorts to commercial dance halls. Drawing on evidence from scattered newspaper sources, the article documents women's ubiquitous presence in music saloons as waiters, performers, prostitutes, and patrons and then interprets what their presence reveals about the public role of women in nineteenth century American cities. The women in music saloons asserted considerable social freedom, articulated a public identity that emphasized sexual expressiveness, and helped create a morally ambiguous environment that defied the prevailing Victorian distinctions between respectable and disreputable. In doing so, they helped define what it meant to be a modern city girl. The article also examines the affect that municipal regulation had upon the operation of Chicago's music saloons. City officials restricted the presence of music and women but only periodically enforced the restrictions. The sporadic enforcement never removed women or music for long but nonetheless structured the social and cultural environment of the city's music saloons.The chorus girls made quite an entrance to George Silver's saloon in downtown Chicago on the night of May 30, 1903. Having just finished their performance at a local theater, they burst through the front door shortly after midnight, sauntered past the bar, and seated themselves in the rear room, which was already packed with men and women listening to "a ragtime artist" pound away on piano. Among those in the rear room, some had come as couples, while others, like the chorus girls, came in single-sex groups. The crowd drank beer, sparkling wine, and mixed drinks. As the night wore on, the frivolity increased. Encouraged by the "riotous piano playing," a woman rose from her chair and performed a "skirt dance," which won "the plaudits of the men and the scowls of the other women." In one corner, a woman talked emotionally to two men before falling into their laps. The promise of another bottle of wine, however, quickly revived her. Soon thereafter, several more women arrived from another saloon, which they declared was

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“…Many churchmen believed that the main trouble with the theatre lay in conditions of the audience, in the immoral plays, and in the corrupt character of actors. Features most often objected to by the clergy were the third tier, a part of the theatre set aside as a "place of assignation" for prostitutes and their clients; the bar, maintained by the theatre itself for sale of alcoholic drinks; 12 and the content of the plays, each of which was guaranteed to enrage a few members of the cloth. At various times, ministers objected because plays contained cursing, drinking, flirting, murder, duelling, remarriage, and even slang.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Theatre's Qualified Victory in an Old War

Johnson¹

1984

Theat Surv

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After a century-long attack from the Puritan progeny of nineteenth-century America, the theatre by 1860 had long since come to accept as a way of life the religious public's antipathy to the stage. The story of the war between church and theatre is an old but, understandably, not a very popular one with theatre historians; nevertheless, some of the most surprising ironies in American cultural history lie in the dynamics — the death of a president, the death and burial of a respected actor, and an ultimate concession on both fronts — which by the turn of the twentieth century brought a winding down of clerical attacks against the stage and a qualified victory for the comparatively poor, scorned, unorganized theatrical forces over their powerful adversary.

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That Guilty Third Tier: Prostitution in Nineteenth-Century American Theaters

Cited by 34 publications

References 0 publications

Exploring “Her” Depictions of the 19th Century Social Transactions in Alcott’s Behind the Mask

Exploring “Her” Depictions of the 19th Century Social Transactions in Alcott’s Behind the Mask

“I Like to Get Around”

The Theatre's Qualified Victory in an Old War

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