LENDING A HAND: 1920s Erotica

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Right: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/GDTLVQ153556106/AHSI?u=omni&sid=AHSI&xid=32b93350&pg=74 Homosexual Erotica Argentine-Italian surrealist painter Leonor Fini was invited to illustrate La Galère and created six etchings depicting explicit sexual activities between men. Finding homosexual erotica can be challenging given past social attitudes toward homosexuality. In 1956, Genet was given a fine and a suspended prison sentence for publishing the illustrated editions of La Galère and Querelle de Brest, both of which were considered “in contempt of morality”. Finding a work that artistically depicts gay intimacy, especially illustrated by a female artist, is something of a rarity. Just like almost anywhere around the world at this time, brothels were a privilege of men. However, they were not publicly allowed either, so much so that in 1926, these places were prohibited and forced to close. Which did not mean the complete shutdown of brothels, of course; they just needed to be more careful. Not only men who were their customers but also women who were working there. They used a sort of code word or expression referring to their metier. A popular one was being a hairdresser or going to a house to comb a lady’s hair.

This is a fine example of the so-called “petticoat governance books.” While Englishmen may have been lords and masters of their homes and families, it’s clear from the popularity of this type of novel that many had secret submissive longings. This particular example features lots of incidents in which a young man is forced to wear women’s clothes, including a corset, and serve very dominant females’ whims as a young woman. The narrative includes explicit encounters with women and men, humiliation, bondage, discipline, a drag king, and some imaginative corporal punishments. Right: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/GEILBK698847083/AHSI?u=omni&sid=AHSI&xid=eafc0675&pg=31 Delve into the fascinating lives and histories of the authors and artists in Enfer The most notable detail of this book is the flagellation themed poetry of Algernon Charles Swinbure. All the stories and other poems in the volume deal with the so-called “English vice.” A small sample of Swinburne’s unsigned work is included here. Possibly due to the prevalence of harsh corporal punishment at school and at home, many Victorian gentlemen enjoyed reading about the birch and the cane (and paying for similar treatment in popular flagellation brothels). While the volume is not on-line, you might find a reprint.

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Please be aware that this blog post contains content that may be offensive to some readers; the decision to read the post is at your own discretion. This verbose, first person narrative follows the fictional Charlie Roberts from his young sexual awakening all through his maturation and development. The Romance of Lust chiefly noted not for the perversity of the acts themselves, which include orgies and incest. All four volumes are available on-line. 8 The Sins of the Cities of the Plain Paris-Éros is a work of erotic courtesan fantasies written by Auguste Dumont under the pen name Martial d’Estoc. It is set in Paris and offers a fictional, yet historically accurate, view of the society and culture of the city in the early twentieth century. The stories involve what one would expect in an erotic novel, such as prostitution, lesbian sex (likely driven by male fantasy), fashionable courtesans, passionate orgies and erotomania. While the book may or may not stand on its own literary merits, the included illustrations are beautifully rendered. Récits Piquants Chaudes Aventures, essentially “ Spicy Tales, Hot Adventures” is another flagellation novel, a topic that was popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The book features six stories, three long tales and three short stories, of passion, sexual frustration, and the art of flogging. This is a work written for the entertainment of the disciples of the lash, nothing more, nothing less. Récits Piquants Chaudes Aventures is interesting as a testimony to a sexual fetish that dominated erotic publishing for the better part of fifty years. Whether or not the book has any redeeming social value, or offers any kind of worthy social critique, is up to you to discover. It is mentioned here for its fascinating depictions of a bygone era. The illustrations in this book were done by Georges Töpfer, a prolific erotic artist whose work appeared in multiple books of the early twentieth century. Featuring fringe wraps, drop-waist dresses, and bob haircuts, the finely rendered drawings nicely portray the stylings and fashions of the 1920s. Nates, Gilbert. Récits piquants chaudes aventures (scènes de féminisme)… / Gilbert Natès; [ill. de G. Topfer]. Illustrated by G. Topfer, M. Legrand, 1920. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/GGBJKC167197546/AHSI?u=omni&sid=AHSI&xid=ce4dbccf&pg=173 Surrealism This book gives a fascinating glimpse into the hidden world of upper and lower class gay Victorians. Unfortunately, it cannot be found online. 7 The Nunnery Tales

A work of social satire with a wafer thin plot containing many erotic scenes as witnessed by a flea (hitching a ride on a young woman) traveling from home to home and peeping at the sexual activities of the residents. What does the flea see? Quite a lot, including explicit intimacy, group encounters, lusty priests, seduction of the innocent, deflowering, incest, corporal punishment, and bukkake. Many of the characters are caricature types that would have been recognized by 19th century readers. The six short stories featured in Le Cinglant Argument feature characters whose sexual frustrations and desires find release in all sorts of flagellation. The sixteen illustrations featured in this book, illustrated by an anonymous artist, leave no doubt this is a flagellation novel; they offer a wonderful visual aspect to the stories. Aside from the erotic nature of the illustrations, it is interesting to see the fashions, furnishings, and stylings of the turn of the twentieth century brought to life. Le Cinglant argument / préface de Pierre Guénolé. Office central de librairie, 1900. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/GEYFLB626093737/AHSI?u=omni&sid=AHSI&xid=55793c24&pg=111 His drawings for Paris-Éros featured a combination of pencil and watercolour washes, depicting women and men in elegant attire and seductive poses. Aside from the titillating qualities of some of the illustrations, it is interesting to see the fashions of the period depicted. One such illustration shows two fashionably dressed ladies likely wearing corsets that gave their figures the wasp-waisted look that was in vogue. Dumont, Auguste. Paris-Éros Première série Les maquerelles inédites / Martial d’Estoc / dessins de Gaston Noury. Illustrated by Gaston Noury, Le Courrier littéraire de la presse, 1903. Archives of Sexuality and Gender,Have you seen any films or series depicting a sexual relationship between a nobleman and a young girl from the personnel? It was extremely common that the young boy of the family acquired his first sexual experience with the help of the handmaid, often with his mother knowing all about it. The body of the handmaid was not a taboo; it was an instrument for the head of the house and for all masculine members of the family. These handmaids were much more experienced than the young ladies living under the same roof, so very often, they passed on their knowledge. In the twentieth century, erotic art became more adventurous, not only in what it depicted, but in the art forms used. A variety of twentieth-century art and design movements, from abstract expressionism to art deco to pop art to surrealism, are illustrated in the books of Enfer. Additionally, erotic literature changed with the times. Some of the works still offered social commentary and criticism, but there were just as many texts dealing with love, sexual desires, fetishes, and outright pornography. Also know as Miss Bellasis Birched for Thieving, this book is one of the classics of Victorian erotica showcasing the 19th century fascination with discipline. It was first published in two volumes with illustrations. When naughtiness like theft ensues at a fashionable girls’ boarding school, the wishy-washy headmistress calls in a stern male disciplinarian to oversee the lovingly described chastisements and intimate encounters of students and staff. Applications of punishment effect positive changes to everyone’s morality and character. The authorship of Verbena House has been in dispute for over a century. Le Cinglant Argument is one of the books in a sub-collection of Enfer known as Flagellation. Between the 1880s and the 1930s, an editorial subgenre flourished in France: the novel de flagellation, a specialized branch of erotic literature. In this context, “passionate flogging” is a sexual act consisting of experiencing an erotic pleasure to be whipped. The Flagellation books in Enfer consist of literary works on spanking, caning, and whipping.