ABSTRACT
Racy papers were not just controversial for their articles and stories, but for sections where people would stalk and harass others, particularly prominent people in society, by threatening to expose private information about them. Young people were sometimes employed to sell erotic media on the streets. While flash papers and erotic fiction were having their day, things got even more interesting as "the advent of photography marked the birth of an astonishingly new medium of sexual representation". Stereoscopic photos were a fixture in Victorian parlors, as well as "a common vehicle for visual pornography". Selling for a quarter or less, these photos were accessible and in public view on street corners and in shop windows. As racy media became widely available, reformers sprang into action to try to do something about it. In an ironic twist, some efforts to limit the availability of erotic media actually increased American production.
