The Archives of Sexuality and Gender: Sex and Sexuality, 16th to 20th Century looks at gender and sexuality in the centuries leading up to, and inclusive of, the period covered in Parts I and II, providing context to the materials in those collections. It examines topics such as patterns of fertility and sexual practice; prostitution; religion and sexuality; the medical and legal construction of sexualities; and the rise of sexology. It not only offers a reflection of the cultural and social attitudes of the past, but also a window into how sexuality and gender roles were viewed and changed over time.
Much that makes up this archive has been locked away for many years – available only via restricted access. Even in this era of somewhat more open minds and ideas, some of these collections remain difficult to access. Others have been dispersed among the broader library collections, making it harder to see the collections as they were and understand why they were locked away in the first place. The Archives of Sexuality and Gender: Sex and Sexuality, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century brings all of this material together for unobstructed and unrestricted access.
Three unique collections make up the archive: The Private Case from the British Library, comprised of printed books segregated from the main library from the 1850s to 1990 on the grounds of obscenity; Special Subject Units from Sex Research: Early Literature from Statistics to Erotica, a collection from the Alfred C. Kinsey Institute for Sex Research dating from 1700 to 1860, a portion of Dr. Kinsey’s original library which he used to study human sexual behavior from a variety of academic and literary viewpoints; and a collection of rare and unique books from the New York Academy of Medicine.