Dirty Sexy History

Latest Episodes:

Episode 13: Perfect Love and Sacred Sin. The Spiritual Side of Historical Kink Aug 18, 2021

Show notes

This week, Jess talks about the spiritual side of historical kink with a look at the death of Czech composer Frantisek Kotzwara in 1791 from erotic asphyxiation, and the murder trial that followed. Then, we jump to Imperial Russia for a look at Rasputin’s views on love and sex to answer the eternal question—was Rasputin really Russia’s greatest love machine?

Episode 12: Dead Sexy. Tuberculosis and Other Beauty Tips Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

Following on from Episode 11, we look at how the symptoms of tuberculosis became the gold standard for Victorian beauty, then we jump to Gilded Age New York for some skin care tips from “The Ugly Girl Papers.”

Episode 11: Dreams of Love: Franz Liszt and la Dame aux Camelias Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

La Traviata, Les Miserables, Moulin Rouge… the tragic courtesan of so many stories is based on just one woman: Marie Duplessis, better known as la Dame aux Camelias. This week, we’re looking at her short life, her love affair with composer Franz Liszt, and her enduring legacy in art and music.

Episode 10: The Necessary Evil. How Sex Work Built London’s Churches Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we’re looking at sex work in Southwark from the Roman period until the 12th century, when the Church was in charge of licensing the “Winchester Geese” and used the money to build places like Southwark Cathedral, which sits on the site of an ancient Roman temple to Isis

Episode 9: Pumpkin Spice Laudanum Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

Once as common as aspirin, laudanum was immortalized in 19th century literature and still pops up in period dramas today. So what was it? Opium and alcohol, and it was used for *everything.* Today on DSH, we’re talking about those uses—authorized and otherwise—and looking at Thomas de Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium Eater

Episode 8: The Storming of the Bastille Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

Happy Bastille Day! This week, we’re talking about the factors that led to the storming of the Bastille on July 14th of 1789 and finding parallels between today’s income inequality and that of Revolutionary France

Episode 7: In Love and Dirt: Cross-Class Romance in 19th Century England Jul 07, 2021

Show notes

In the 19th century, no one ever married outside their class…right? In this episode, we look at some people who did. Elizabeth Armistead was a courtesan to the aristocracy who married the love of her life, politician and abolitionist Charles James Fox. Arthur Munby was a gentleman who secretly married Hannah Cullwick, a maid with a very interesting fetish.

Episode 6: The Transgender Priests of Cybele Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

Trans identities aren’t a new thing; they have existed since at least ancient Mesopotamia around 3100 BCE. In this episode, we take a look at the trans priests of the goddesses Inanna and Cybele, and how an oracle’s prophecy brought them to Rome to defeat Hannibal

Episode 5: Chasing Ghosts in 19th Century Paris. Horror Tourism in the City of Light Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode, Jess takes you on a tour of the darker side Parisian nightlife in the 19th century from Robertson’s Phantasmagoria to the awesomely goth nightclubs of 1890s Montmartre. As a bonus, she explains how to drink absinthe like a pro so you don’t embarrass yourself in front of Oscar Wilde

Episode 4: The Sickness of Naples. Syphilis and the Invention of the Modern Condom Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

Did Columbus bring syphilis back to Europe from the New World? Almost certainly. In this episode, Jess talks about how Columbus caused the deaths of 120 million people worldwide from disease alone, leading to the invention of the modern condom in the 16th century.

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