8. Despite the introduction of the Obscene Publications Act (or perhaps because of it) the pornography industry boomed during Victorian times
In 1857, concerned by the booming trade indecent images, the British government passed the Obscene Publications Act. The law made pornography illegal, and anyone caught producing and selling it could face a lengthy prison sentence. Far from making porn disappear, however, the law just pushed it underground. And, from the 1860s onward, it flourished, especially in the big cities. In London, for instance, Holywell Street, just off the Strand, became the place to go for dirty pictures, so long as you knew what to ask for. And, quite simply, if you asked for something, it was probably available, with all tastes and kinks, from the everyday to the extreme, catered for.
Given the risk of arrest and prostitution, pornography producers tended to make only a few copies of pictures or magazines. These would be purchased ‘under the counter’, almost always by a man with some disposable income, and then discreetly passed around his circle of friends. Even if a porn merchant was arrested and forced out of business, another one would simply take their place. By the 1880s, more and more material was being produced, with the bookshops of Holywell Street struggling to keep up with demand.
