Traffic in Souls (1913)

Contemporary newspaper advertisement. Lorna Barton (played by [[Ethel Grandin) is tempted by the procurer Bill Bradshaw (William Cavanaugh) in a cafe.]] Traffic in Souls is a 1913 narrative feature film focusing on forced prostitution (white slavery) in the US. The film was produced by Universal Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based at the beginning of the 20th century.and filmed there, on location on Ellis Island and Manhattan. Its subjects were working women and immigrants to the US and it was released at a time when the country was undergoing a "moral panic" over the issue of prostitution. The film's release eventually resulted in the adding of "white slavery" to the list of topics banned under the Hays Code.

More at Wikipedia.