Libertine London: Sex in the Eighteenth-Century Metropolis (Reaktion Books, 2024) investigates the sex lives of women from 1680 to 1830, the period known as the ‘long eighteenth century.’
The book uncovers the various experiences of women, whether mistresses, adulteresses or those involved in the sex trade. From renowned courtesans to downtrodden streetwalkers, Julie Peakman examines the multifaceted lives of these women within brothels, on stage and even behind bars.
In this talk, the author will share some of this new research from court transcripts, asylum records, magazines, pamphlets, satires, songs, theatre plays and erotica. We will hear about some of the gruesome treatment of women who were sexually active outside of marriage.
Julie Peakman looks at sex from women’s points of view, undercutting the traditional image of the bawdy 18th century to expose a more sordid side, of women left distressed, ostracized and vilified for their sexual behaviour.
A link to the Zoom webinar will be sent out upon registration. Participants will not be visible.
We invite you to ask questions using the Q&A function. A recording will be circulated to all attendees after the event.
About the author
Julie Peakman is a historian and author of many books on the history of sexuality. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Honorary Fellow at Birkbeck College, University of London. She is a frequent contributor to academic journals, national newspapers and popular magazines and has worked on television documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, Sky and the Biography Channel.