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Some Notes On Early Porn Posted on 11/12/2014

Ahh, delightful hardcore pornography... enjoyed by many though admitted by fewer, and destined to be perpetually both taboo and enticing for a Western culture that is simultaneously hypersexualized and rather uptight on the subject. And at no time was that more true than in mid 19th century Europe and America.

As mentioned previously in the introduction to early nudes, legality was a serious concern to your typical pioneering erotic photographer. The first of these presented their images as figure studies, or academies, for artists - Greek/Roman themes, classical poses, ornate and opulent sets all conveyed the sense that these photographs had other uses besides titillation. And quite frankly many of them are exceedingly lovely and composed with a trained painter's eye. By most measures today they would be called "art".

But in the 1850s-1860s cameras percolated out into the world at large and photography became a far less complex and expensive process. However, human nature remained the same - mankind will always appreciate some good lusty photos and therefore even in chaste Victorian Europe there was a huge market clamoring for images of sex. And so the refinement and artistry of the nude academies gave way to straight-up nudity and all the various sex acts/poses of modern pornography we've come to know and love today. Unlike the naughty yet artsy postcards and academies, these photos make no excuses. They are what they are. So while often less skilfully composed than the artistic nudes of the era, they have a vitality and honesty all their own and certainly challenge the Victorian establishment's ideal of a proper and chaste society.

Besides - depending on one's objectives, tasteful nudes can only go so far.

Some things tend to surprise people the first time they see 19th century porn (aside from the fact that it existed at all). Firstly, how little the conventions, poses, and positions have changed after all these years. The photos are usually composed to show penetration as clearly as possible, so you get an inordinate amount of 'reverse cowgirl' positions and all the other ones common to contemporary porn. Orgies and group sex were a beloved subject too, then as now.

Also unchanged is the erotic appeal of costuming, whether it's the stockings, bloomers, and blouses, or more specific themes (debauched clergy and nuns were popular once upon a time, giving way to French maids, schoolteachers, the classic dominatrix, and others).

One thing that *has* changed over the years is the modern focus on youth and beauty in naughty photos. Many 19th century photos depicted, how shall we say, "less than lovely" participants who often were quite a bit older than the typical age-range we expect from our models nowadays. I think part this has to do with the type of industry it was in those days - an informal, even illicit one. The standard of beauty (which itself was different back then of course) played a secondary role to the simple and forbidden thrill of viewing these images in which people were having sex. To have a young, well-favored woman involved was appreciated but not essential (though the collection here is more slanted towards our modern ideas of beauty).

So who were these models that dared flout strict Victorian moral standards?

The vast majority were prostitutes hired from brothels, which helps account for their uninhibited manner whilst naked and cavorting in front of the lens. In fact, houses of ill repute did a brisk business peddling all manner of erotic photographs in addition to selling actual sex. And it's not hard to imagine prostitutes welcoming an afternoon XXX photoshoot as a break from entertaining johns off the street.

There are also accounts of photographers hiring women from other sources - cabaret troupes, their own spouses, etc, but it is safe to say that most of the 1850-1930s era pictures found on this site would not have been possible without the efforts of the enterprising harlots of yesteryear.

Most Popular Models

Seka Age: Height: Measurements: Astrological Sign: Fun Fact: Platinum-haired and with an unmistakable charisma & camera presence, Seka is one of the most recognizable adult actresses of the 1970s. She was born to Irish-Cherokee parents who named her Dorothiea Ivonniea Hundley, and had a self-described "normal" upbringing in Virginia which included multiple beauty pageant coronations and a short-lived shotgun marriage at age 18. Later, while owning several adult bookstores Dorothiea - or Dottie as she was known - became exposed to the world of porn (she repaired the film reels when they inevitably broke) and took issue with their "nasty representation" of women. Thinking she could do better, a legend was born. She adopted the moniker "Seka" from a female blackjack dealer she once knew in Vegas, then relocated to Los Angeles to start her adult movie career. And her original plan did indeed come to fruition - Seka routinely played strong independent women who knew what they wanted & how to get it, a stark departure for an industry that typically depicted females as passive and degraded. When all was said & done, she tallied over 200 films and performed many scenes alongside (and underneath) such male mainstays as John Holmes, Jamie Gillis, Paul Thomas, etc, and wound up in basically every adult industry Hall Of Fame out there. One of our all-time favorites. Double tap the picture view this model.
Virginia Bell Age: Height: Measurements: Astrological Sign: Fun Fact: Diminuitive of height at only 5'2”, Virginia brought new meaning to the term STACKED. With a winning smile, wavy blond hair, & a pair of fantastically bounteous bodacious breasts, she was one of the most popular burlesque & pin-up models of the 1950s and early 1960s. She appeared in SoCal burlesque clubs in her early 20s and went on to star in many short topless reels, magazine shoots, and even a few feature-length B-movies (including a star turn in Lewis & Friedman's "Bell, Bare, and Beautiful"). In an era where implants were extremely rare, Virginia's boobs were of such wondrous proportions that people did indeed speculate whether she'd had them enhanced - however by all accounts they were 100% natural. Double tap the picture view this model.	Bettie Page Age: Height: Measurements: Astrological Sign: Fun Fact: Much has been written & said about The Queen Of Pin-ups elsewhere, and better than we could, so we'll stick to the basic facts. Born in 1923 in Nashville, voted “Most Likely To Succeed” in high school and then graduated salutatorian of her class, Bettie then bounced around from California to Miami to Haiti before arriving in New York City. After a stint with secretarial work, she broke into the modeling scene especially the so-called nude “camera clubs” - before long her distinctive black bangs, luscious body, and singular charm was being featured in various girlie mags of the era. Bettie's most fruitful partnership came with bondage photographer Irving Klaw, who created custom photosets and film reels for clients based around the (now well-established) BDSM tropes: spanking, catfights, leather boots & fishnets, riding crops, etc. Interestingly though she was in-demand for that sort of material, Bettie never had any interest in bondage in her personal life – she considered it harmless, if a bit silly. I think that's part of her stuff's allure, aside from being ravishingly beautiful there was always an aura of carefree & fun coming through in her photos. Truly a legend, and one with influence far outside the world of pin-ups - there'll never be another one quite like Bettie. Double tap the picture view this model.
Brigitte Lahaie Age: Height: Measurements: Astrological Sign: Fun Fact: French-born Brigitte began her adult career in the mid-1970s, appearing in a large catalogue of well-produced European erotic movies – reasonable budgets, convincing sets/costumes/props, and halfway decent actors made many of these into “real” movies that just happened to portray lots of sex. In our (biased) opinions, these generally blow any contemporary porn out of the water both in quality and eroticism, but that's a topic for another place ;) She also appeared in many men's magazines & shorter (yet still high-quality) XXX loops, which provide most of the Brigitte-oriented content you'll find here. Lovely woman with an incredible body (oh those breasts!) and by French accounts a decent actress, she went on to success in mainstream films, television, and radio (a show on which she still hosts). Double tap the picture view this model.	Annette Haven Age: Height: Measurements: Astrological Sign: Fun Fact: A sex goddess from the Golden Age of XXX, Annette was born in Las Vegas to a conservative Mormon family (which she says influenced her decision to enter porn) and upon adulthood moved to San Francisco and found work as a stripper. Introduced to the world of sex cinema in the early 1970s by her roommate & sometimes lover Bonnie Holiday (in a menage a trois with Holiday's husband), she quickly climbed to adult stardom and was featured in some of the highest budget & best XXX films of the era. Annette's arguably the best pure actress of 1970s-1980s adult flicks, and had some roles in mainstream movies also. She went on to direct and produce adult films as well – there are a couple interviews out there that recount some of her time in the industry, and she comes across as a highly intelligent & insightful woman. Well worth checking out if you can find them. Double tap the picture view this model.
Lillian Parker Age: Height: Measurements: Astrological Sign: Fun Fact: Double tap the picture view this model.	Roberta Pedon Age: Height: Measurements: Astrological Sign: Fun Fact: Roberta Pedon (1952-1982) was born with the not exactly stage-friendly name Rosma Laila Grantoviskis to Latvian-Jewish parents in Ohio. Supposedly somewhere along the line she picked up fluent Portuguese, although not much else is known before her migration to California in the early 1970s. She was quickly 'discovered' by photographers & men's magazines, and became a mainstay in the pin-up landscape of the era. The fact that her lovely slender body included a pair of incredible breasts several sizes larger than the rest of her frame got her fans' attention, but her staying power was helped along with an appealing girl-next-door appearance - pretty eyes, a goofy smile, and a general demeanor halfway between corn-fed Midwestern girl and California hippie. That combo - the proportions of a goddess but the down-to-earth persona of your neighbor around the block - is a big reason for her appeal even decades later. Sadly, Miss Pedon's personal demons - drugs & alcohol & who knows what else - were powerful & persistent and contributed to her death of liver disease at the young age of 28. Beauty & tragedy often go hand in hand, it's a story told again and again as the generations go on by... Double tap the picture view this model.

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