{"product_id":"smut-an-1883-obscenity-trial-and-its-echoes-today-9781589882140","title":"Smut: An 1883 Obscenity Trial and Its Echoes Today","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eAn engrossing tale well told.\u003c\/b\u003e\"\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e--Mary Beth Norton, author of \u003ci\u003eLiberty's Daughters\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Devil's Snare\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Kammen's writing is engaging throughout, and her argument connecting 1883 to the present day is persuasive. A narrow slice of local history that opens, unexpectedly, onto the present.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn June, 1883, Jefferson and Helen Beardsley of Ithaca, New York, were tried and sentenced for \"selling and exhibiting obscene pictures.\" In \u003ci\u003eSmut, \u003c\/i\u003e Carol Kammen draws directly from the trial transcript to reveal the fascinating history surrounding the case and its unmistakable relevance to today. With gentle humor, she weaves in the story of her research for the book, offering insight into the way local historians go about their important work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe account originates with the 1876 Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia. This enormous affair attracted millions of visitors from around the world, and was, among other things, a venue for all types of artwork, including erotica. Kammen explains, \"Although there was pornography of one sort or another all along, the dissemination of such pictures and at an affordable price into smaller cities and villages in the country can be traced directly to the advances in photography in the 1850s and to the 1876 Centennial Celebration.\" The Beardsleys brought several images home from the fair to their small photography studio and proceeded to show them to select customers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe town leaders of Ithaca, a hamlet about to grow rapidly thanks to the presence of the recently-founded Cornell University, were vigilant to protect their town's good name. Through the lens of the trial, Kammen explores the local social control agency of the day, the influence of Anthony Comstock's legislation for social purity, and the status of women in American life and law. In vivid detail, this small-town trial dramatizes the same forces at work today, as citizens strive to balance the public good with private rights. \u003ci\u003eIncludes photographs.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Paul Dry Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/18\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781589882140\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 217","brand":"Carol Kammen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52732876259509,"sku":"9781589882140","price":16.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/smut-an-1883-obscenity-trial-and-its-echoes-today-9781589882140","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}