10/04/2026
Fresh arrivals: Prints of authentic brothel reviews & quack medicine ads from 1889 guide book printed on handmade paper.
As discussed on the Booze, Brothels, & Booze walking tours, I have a copy of the 1889 Sporting & Club House Guide To Milwaukee by Rochester & Taylor, Publishers. (My copy is a 1920s print obtained from the old Milwaukee B**r Museum.) People have been so interested in what these pages contain, & the glimpse into values of the time, that I have restored a few & printed them for you!
Please note that the views, language, and sentiments expressed in these historical documents belong solely to the original authors and do not reflect my opinions or values. These archival materials reflect the period in which they were created & are presented unedited for historical accuracy. I will not whitewash history. Continue reading at your own discretion.
Selections from the collection:
* Miss Sadie Evans, formerly of Minneapolis, apparently was so well-endowed with diamonds it serves as Yelp review of an entertaining, profitable business.
* Coded gay male services, including one presumably from a man of color who promised to "treat you white".
* Ads for Dr. LaVine's STI cures & preventatives - snake oils for your snake, if you will - including one called Razzle Dazzle, which now means I have giggle fits at the mention of "give 'em the old razzle dazzle" song in Chicago the musical. (Bonus points: the quack medicine was actually made in Chicago.)
* Miss Georgia Hitchcox, whose establishment is worthy of mention for an amazing life-sized work of art which "seems almost real & the saddest imaginable".
* Miss Jack Hunter, "the only first-class colored house," which mentions several workers by name, "'Lucky' Joe, 'Midget', the gambler's pride, and Daisy, the waif." It's the last ad in book - & "P.S. No colored gentlemen admitted."