Prostitution and eighteenth century culture : sex commerce and morality Prostitutes and prostitution were notoriously visible in eighteenth century culture. Commonly understood as an indication of the moral temperature of society the period saw profound changes in the way prostitution was represented in literary and visual culture. The eighteenth century saw profound changes in the way prostitution was represented in literary and visual culture. This collection of essays focuses on the variety of ways that the sex trade was represented in popular culture of the time across different art forms and highlighting contradictory interpretations.