From the Exotic to the Erotic
Menageries
Imperial expansion and global exploration brought exotic creatures from around the world to the towns of Britain. In travelling menageries the curious Georgian could pay to see anything from a Monkey to a Kangaroo.
The Beggar’s Benison Club
The hedonistic club of ‘The Most Ancient and Most Puissant order of the Beggar’s Benison’ reinforced the bonds of homo-sociability through a celebration of male sexuality and a series of surprising initiation ceremonies.
The ‘Ladies’ of Covent Garden
Prostitution was an undeniable feature of the world of Georgian entertainment, the procurement of this particular type of pleasure being intimately woven into the fabric of urban life. Sexual pleasures were available for both sexes if they could pay.