Seduction, Prostitution, and Moral Reform in New York, 1830-1860

Book excerpt: First published in 1998. In June 1831 the New York Magdalen Society published its first annual report. The Society charged that widespread sexual deviation, primarily in the form of prostitution, existed in New York City. The Magdalen Report claimed that approximately ten thousand women earned their livings as public prostitutes, and another ten thousand were “private or part-time prostitutes.” The Magdalen Society’s establishment and the subsequent publication of the Magdalen Report marked the beginning of a crusade in New York City to curtail sexual deviation and this study looks at the changes and reforms that took place.