Besides the exclusive Hell-Fire Club, other clubs were very popular with the
bored, spoilt, and wealthy young noblemen. They could choose to be Mohawks
and specialize in breaking noses and gouging out eyes of strangers on the
street, or Blasters that expose themselves to passing girls, or Mollies who
dressed like women, or She-Romps that would force women to walk on their
hands so their skirts would fall around their faces, or Hectors that reveled
in vandalism, or even the Fun Club that enjoyed pulling practical jokes.
Gentlemen of fashion wore their hair in thirty-six curls, fine lace, blue
powder on their faces and high red heel shoes. The art of tying a cravat was
the ultimate fashion statement and a lengthy one, and gentlemen carried muffs
to keep their hands warm.
Men and women received guests while still in bed, but rarely rose before
three in the afternoon. A proper gentleman would enter a room on his tip
toes "as though the floor were wet and he were afraid of falling." Then he
would bow at a 90 degree angle until he was acknowledged.
Gentlewomen of fashion wore headdresses nearly a yard high, hoop-skirts eight
feet in diameter with six to seven petticoats underneath.
Snuff masters taught young bucks the art of taking snuff.
Dollymops were "respectable" women who needed extra funds. Flower girls and
milliners were often dollymops.
Doe - a novice prostitute.
Macaroni - slang for a fashionable young gentleman
Popular brothels of the day were Moll King's, Constance Phillips', Lucy
Cooper's, Elizabeth Roach's and Charlotte Hayes'. Many of the establishments
had couches along the walls of a common room, the young lords would take
their pick for the night and retire to a couch in full view of other couples
already "immersed" in each other. Oddly, the ordinary clients of less than
noble blood would prefer privacy.
Taken from Magic Moments - August 2001 Volume 4/Issue 8