The Portland City Archives is excited to announce its new exhibit, Hygiene Hysteria: Patrolling Women’s Health and Morals. In the early 20th century, the Social Hygiene Movement aimed to curb vices like gambling and prostitution while reducing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. With the onset of World War I, authorities began detaining individuals with venereal disease. Enforcement targeted women, blaming prostitution for the spread of disease. This widely held belief led to the establishment of the Cedars Detention Facility for Women, where those diagnosed with STIs were confined.
Visit the Portland City Archives and Records Center (PARC) to view Hygiene Hysteria, featuring materials related to the creation of the Cedars detention facility. Ordinances, resolutions, reports, and correspondence reveal the perspectives of City leaders at the time and shed light on the treatment, lack of autonomy, and disregard women faced.
Open for viewing Tuesday - Thursday, 8:00AM - 4:30PM.
1800 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 550 Portland, OR 97201
The featured image shows a promotional graphic for the exhibit featuring a blueprint drawing of the side view of a building known as the Cedars from 1918, and a black and white photograph of two women posing in front of striped curtains, standing on a wooden walkway from 1911. The exhibit title reads Hygiene Hysteria Patrolling Women’s Health and Morals. The citations for the records are Portland City Archives, M/4082 and AF/65152.