Vice, Morality, and the women of historic StL

Cost: $5; doors open at 6:30pm.

"In the late 1800s, St. Louis was used as a case study for how cities handled what were referred to as “social evils,” with special emphasis on sex work and prostitution. One of the most notable parts of this experiment was the city’s system for inspecting and regulating sex workers.
In this talk, Ben Gall will explore the experiences of the people who engaged in sex work and vice during this era, how local government attempted to legislate morality, the motivations behind those laws, and the geography of vice in St. Louis itself.
Rather than reducing the story to scandal, this talk examines how policy, public health, class, and gender shaped the lives of real people navigating a city determined to control them.

"Ben Gall is a public historian, heritage leader, and St. Louis history nerd. Born and raised in the St. Louis metro, Ben has provel cheese in his veins and toasted ravioli in his heart. He grew up in West County and moved to Dogtown with his wife and cat in 2021."

Learn more about the talk and the speaker at https://unseenstlouis.substack.com/p/unseen-stl-history-may-2026