French Postcards: An Album of Vintage Erotica

by Martin Stevens

Long before pin-ups, Playboy , or the Internet, enterprising Parisians at the turn of the 20th-century turned the relatively new invention of the camera toward the female nude. Artfully posed with classical architecture or in flirtatious dishabille with stockings and lingerie, the winking models embody the erotic fantasies of a repressed society. Some of the women shown are demure and shy, wearing a slip or low-cut blouse-a great tease in an age when showing an ankle was scandalous. Their daring glimpses of decolletage carry a particular charge, so rare in today's world of overexposure. These cards were sold, often in packets, at street kiosks and under tabac counters, hush-hush but nevertheless ubiquitous. As foreigners flooded the city in the early part of the 20th-century, the cards became cherished souvenirs that were secretly collected and shared among men abroad. This is when the phrase "French postcards" became a euphemistic code for erotic nude images. These lovely ladies evoke a campy nostalgia that celebrates a healthy, voluptuous ideal of sensual feminine beauty. More retro than raunchy, French Postcards has the saucy fun of a naughty valentine, sure to charm and entertain a friend or lover.

Genres: Erotica, Photography, Art

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2007

Reviews

[Tristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great series of photographs about the first pin-up photos ever created. There are very nice historical explanations of how erotica changed with this new capability to mass produce photos. My ONLY complaint is several of the pictures were pixelated and obviously just taken off the Internet. The introduction says that all these photos are in the authors' collection, so why would he not get high res scans done? Other than the few pixelated images, the high resolution images are really gorgeous! Thank you to Susanna for gifting me this great book!

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful old fashioned looking book with some gorgeous vintage images. Well worth investing in if you collect photography books.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a gorgeous collection of the female form in its most natural state. Lovely.