Tarts in the archive: A visual analysis of London sex workers’ ephemera from the 1990s

This research investigates the visual culture of sex work through advertisements from the 1990s. The study analyses collections of approximately 22,000 tart cards (sex worker business cards) from London archives examining how these ephemeral advertisements for sexual services challenge mainstream narratives that either demonise or glorify sex workers as 'other'. The study employs a multidisciplinary methodology incorporating visual analysis, social art history, feminist theory, and visual criminology to decipher the bifurcated framework through which sex workers are viewed. It finds that there are tensions between the self-representation of sex workers and the perspectives of policymakers, the media and feminist groups. Policymakers have viewed sex workers as a social and environmental problem, exacerbated by the media, and feminist groups have proposed the idea of sex workers as victims or entrepreneurs. The tart cards are evidence of how the sex industry has been envisaged in a way that ignores its complexity and the agency of sex workers themselves. The cards defy categorisation, mirroring the multidimensional nature of the individuals they represent. This research contributes to broader discussions on sex work within a visual cultural and sociological capacity, offering new insights into sex workers' lived experiences and histories.