Victorian-era nudes often employed playful and/or exotic themes and props - historical & mythological scenes were always popular, as was posing with newfangled inventions such as the bicycle. Circus themes were also common, and some of the girls were actually carnival or sideshow "exotic dancers" themselves.

Also big were Orientalized costumes inspired by the Middle East (if not actually featuring women from the region) and points even further abroad, which at the time had some popular currency due to Britain and France's far-flung colonial empires. Snake-charmers, gypsies, Cleopatras, the list goes on.