Victorian attitudes from "summary" of An Illustrated History of Pornography by Abe Richards,Robert R. Irvine

The Victorian period has a notoriously repressive attitude to sexuality with much of the population adopting rigid moral views. Sexual activity outside of marriage was socially unacceptable and the law sought to uphold these values through censorship.

As time progressed and society's views evolved, some Victorian attitudes toward sex began to relax, especially with regards to certain topics such as homosexuality. Seen as a mental illness at this time, efforts were made to lessen the stigma around sexual practices between members of the same gender and many laws were overturned as a result.

As a result of this oppressive atmosphere, sexual material in any form was banned in the early part of the 1800s. This meant that books, magazines, art or music which was deemed to be too provocative were immediately outlawed.

For a variety of reasons, including technological advances and changing public attitudes, the restrictions on pornography lessened throughout the 19th century. While still not condoned by mainstream society, works of art tackling themes of sexuality became more widespread and openly available.

In spite of strict rules against it, pornography played an important role in challenging traditional attitudes about sexuality during the time. Often sold surreptitiously through underground channels, pornographic material such as photographs, drawings, and literature served to confront social norms and push back against narrow definitions of what constituted acceptable behavior.

Even so, there are many examples of people who faced criminal charges for their production or distribution of materials deemed "obscene" at the time. Perceived transgressions were routinely punished by imprisonment or hard work in prison colonies for those found guilty.