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Smut : an 1883 obscenity trial and its echoes today / Carol Kammen.
Athenaeum of Philadelphia - Circulating Collection KF223.B388 K36 2026
By Request
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Kammen, Carol, 1937- author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Beardsley, Jefferson, 1833-1895--Trials, litigation, etc.
- Beardsley, Jefferson.
- Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.).
- Centennial Exhibition.
- Obscenity (Law)--United States--History--19th century.
- Obscenity (Law).
- Trials (Obscenity)--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.
- Trials (Obscenity).
- Censorship--United States--History--19th century.
- Censorship.
- Freedom of expression--United States--History--19th century.
- Freedom of expression.
- Genre:
- Informational works.
- Physical Description:
- xiii, 217 pages : illustrations, map, portraits ; 22 cm
- Edition:
- First Paul Dry Books edition.
- Manufacture:
- Jackson, TN : Lightning Source LLC, [2026]
- Place of Publication:
- Philadelphia : Paul Dry Books, 2026.
- Summary:
- In June, 1883, Jefferson and Helen Beardsley of Ithaca, New York, were tried and sentenced for "selling and exhibiting obscene pictures" at 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. In Smut, Carol Kammen draws directly from the trial transcript to reveal the fascinating history surrounding the case and its unmistakable relevance to today.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references.
- Local Notes:
- Athenaeum copy: Miller Fund bookplate.
- ISBN:
- 9781589882140
- 1589882148
- OCLC:
- 1596274211
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