Censorship, Social Control, and the Nude in 19th century Britain vs. the United States

In the course of the 19th Century, Britain and the United States shared the experience of becoming both more censorious and visibly erotic. Comparative analysis allows us to see the ways that boundaries between the categories of art and obscenity reflect specific systems of social control, and, additionally, the ways that attempts to shape public morality through censorship often lead to the opposite of their intended effects.