Archive of 117 original evidence photographs documenting Los Angeles massage parlors, circa 1970s

N.p.: N.p., 1974. Archive of 117 vintage evidence photographs (including 114 in black-and-white and three in color) of massage parlors in the Los Angeles area. Each photograph with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stamps on the versos. Many photographs with annotations in manuscript ink on the recto margins and on the versos, identifying locations, years, and subjects.

Beginning in the early 1970s, Los Angeles saw the proliferation of massage parlors and adult stores, as well as an increase in prostitution by all genders. Provocative names-such as "House of Erotica," "The Institute of Oral Love," "Tiger's Den," and the like-were used by the parlors to convey the idea that more could be obtained than just a massage. By the late 1970s, vice policing crackdowns on solicitation had a marked impact on the city's parlors, and many were shuttered by the 1980s.

The archive on offer contains many images of massage parlor proprietors, managers, and workers, as well as a number of photographs of male clients, both immediately after being arrested, and later, while being held at the police station. Several photographs show police officers in uniform and in undercover plainclothes, at the parlors and at the station. The balance of the photographs, however, document parlor exterior advertising and interiors, with approximately 40 distinct locations represented.

A fascinating artifact from a pivotal moment in Los Angeles history, capturing the heyday of the sex industry in the late 20th century.

Approximately 5.25 x 5 inches. Near Fine, with color photographs lightly faded.