Historian Nancy Bernhard Brings 19th Century NYC to Life in 'The Double Standard Sporting House'

In her historical fiction debut, The Double Standard Sporting House, historian and novelist Nancy Bernhard tells the story of a 19th century brothel nurse, Nell “Doc” Hastings, who fought to protect and aid girls trafficked in the sex trade. Set in New York City, her upscale brothel, named The Double Standard Sporting House, catered to wealthy and influential men, but also, ironically, housed a free women’s clinic. By that time, the corrupt Democratic political organization, Tammany Hall, had risen to power and violence against girls and women in the city had surged. As for why Bernhard decided to focus on this time period, she remarked, “I was reading a book about the history of the 19th century sex trade in New York, a book called Their Sisters’ Keepers by Marilynn Wood Hill… and in the introduction… she says, ‘By 1870, when Tammany had really solidified its power, it ended a unique era in the history of the sex trade when women were in control of it,’ and I thought, oh yeah, that’s it. That’s the struggle, right? Women have carved out this one little place filled with shame and ridicule and marginalization where they can actually make a living… because they’re allowed this corner of the world that is disdained by everybody, and then they come for that too, so I thought, here’s my antagonist.”

In regards to her protagonist, Bernhard explained that Doc comes from a medical family, with a father who’s a doctor and a mother who worked as a midwife. However, she was orphaned at a young age and had to manage life on her own. In terms of her development, “…she goes through something really terrible and harrowing and ends up… on the other side of respectability…. now she can take all these incredible talents that she has and this approach that she has and use it in this world… that was what I was creating Doc to embody, someone who really could be extremely giving, but also on her own journey of healing and change.”