Description
Soiled Doves tells of the grey world of prostitution and the women who participated in the oldest profession. Colorful, if not socially acceptable, these ladies of easy virtue were a definite part of the early West – Wearing ruffled petticoats with fancy bows, they were glamourous and plain, good and bad and many were as wild as the land they came to tame.
Women like “Molly b’Dam,” Mattie Silks and “Chicago Joe” blended into the fabric of the American Frontier with an easy familiarity. Others such as “Sorrel Mike,” escaped through suicide. Lottie Johl chose marriage and the Chinese slave girls lived a life without hope.
Illustrated with rare photos, this strong book provides a touching insight into the lives of the ladies of the night.
Anne Seagraves is the author of HIgh-Spirited Women of the West, Women Who Charmed the West, and Women of the Sierra. Seagraves lives in northern Idaho, where she is currently working on her seventh book.