Erotic photography
Erotic photography is a style of
Erotic photography is often distinguished from nude photography, which contains nude subjects not necessarily in an erotic situation, and pornographic photography, which is of a sexually explicit nature. Pornographic photography is generally defined as "obscene" and lacking in artistic/aesthetic value. However, the line between art and pornography has been both socially and legally debated,[1] and many photographers have created work that intentionally ignores these distinctions.
Erotic photographs are normally intended for commercial use, including
The subjects of erotic photographs include professional models, celebrities and amateurs. Well-known entertainers do not generally pose nude for photographs. The first entertainer to pose nude for photographs was the stage actress
Beginnings
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Coloured daguerreotype by Félix-Jacques Moulin, c. 1851–1854
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Recumbent female nude, Amélie by Félix-Jacques Moulin, c. 1852–1853
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19th-century nude photograph by unknown photographer
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Bust photograph of a young nude lady by unknown photographer, 19th century
Before 1839, depictions of nudity and erotica generally consisted of paintings, drawings and engravings. In that year, Louis Daguerre presented the first practical process of photography to the French Academy of Sciences.[4] Unlike earlier photograph methods, his daguerreotypes had stunning quality and did not fade with time. Artists adopted the new technology as a new way to depict the nude form, which in practice was the feminine form. In so doing, at least initially, they tried to follow the styles and traditions of the art form. Traditionally, in France, an académie was a nude study done by a painter to master the female (or male) form. Each had to be registered with the French government and approved or they could not be sold. Soon, nude photographs were being registered as académie and marketed as aids to painters. However, the realism of a photograph as opposed to the idealism of a painting made many of these intrinsically erotic.[5]
In Nude Photography, 1840–1920, Peter Marshall notes: "In the prevailing moral climate at the time of the invention of photography, the only officially sanctioned photography of the body was for the production of artist's studies. Many of the surviving examples of daguerreotypes are clearly not in this genre but have a sensuality that clearly implies they were designed as
The daguerreotypes were not without drawbacks, however. The main difficulty was that they could only be reproduced by photographing the original picture since each image was an original and the all-metal process does not use
Stereoscopy was invented in 1838 and became extremely popular for daguerreotypes,[8][9] including the erotic images. This technology produced a type of three dimensional view that suited erotic images quite well. Although thousands of erotic daguerreotypes were created, only around 800 are known to survive; however, their uniqueness and expense meant that they were once the toys of rich men. Due to their rarity, the works can sell for more than £GB 10,000.[5]
The calotype process
In 1841,
The Victorian tradition
The Victorian pornographic tradition in Britain had three main elements: French photographs, erotic prints (sold in shops in Holywell Street, a long vanished London thoroughfare, swept away by the
Studies of this type can be found in the work of
Parallel to the British printing history, photographers and printers in France frequently turned to the medium of postcards, producing great numbers of them. Such cards came to be known in the US as "French postcards".[11]
French influence
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Female nude by Charles Gilhousen, postcard, 1919
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Pseudo-classical scene with kithara
The initial appearance of
Instead, nude and erotic photographs were marketed in a monthly magazine called La Beauté that was ostensibly targeted for artists looking for poses. Each issue contained 75 nude images which could be ordered by mail, in the form of postcards, hand-tinted or sepia toned.
Early 20th century
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Portrait by Bellocq, c. 1912 (1900–1917)
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Erotic photography around 1910
The early 1900s saw several important improvements in camera design, including the 1913 invention of the 35 mm or "candid" camera by
Early 20th century artist E. J. Bellocq, who made his best known images with the older style glass plate negatives, is best remembered for his down-to-earth pictures of prostitutes in domestic settings in the Storyville red light district of New Orleans. In contrast to the usual pictures of women awkwardly posed amid drapery, veils, flowers, fruit, classical columns and oriental braziers, Bellocq's sitters appear relaxed and comfortable. David Steinberg speculates that the prostitutes may have felt at ease with Bellocq because he was "so much of a fellow outcast."
Other photographers of nude women of this period include Alexandre-Jacques Chantron, Jean Agélou[14] and Alfred Cheney Johnston. Chantron was already an established painter before experimenting with photography,[15] while Agélou and Johnston made their career in photography.
Another noteworthy photographer of the first two decades of the 20th century was the
Many photographs from this era were intentionally damaged. Bellocq, for instance, frequently scratched out the faces of his sitters to obscure their identities. Some of his other sitters were photographed wearing masks. Peter Marshall writes, "Even in the relatively bohemian atmosphere of Carmel, California in the 1920s and '30s, Edward Weston had to photograph many of his models without showing their faces, and some 75 years on, many communities are less open about such things than Carmel was then."[19]
In France, the tolerance of nude photography in the early 20th century coincided with the popularity of stereo photography. Stereo photography experienced a revival with the introduction of the compact and affordable Vérascope stereo camera by Jules Richard in 1893. Viewing erotic stereoscopic images through a stereoscope provided an intimate viewing experience.
Jules Richard published more than 7,000 glass stereoviews in the 45 mm × 107 mm (1.8 in × 4.2 in) format, shot in a classic Atrium.[20] Jean Agélou published more than 40 series of paper card stereoviews. During a single posing session with a model, he used a stereo camera for the stereoviews and a normal camera for the French postcards.[21]
Later 20th century
Nude photographers of the mid-20th century include Walter Bird, John Everard, Horace Roye, Harrison Marks and Zoltán Glass. Roye's photograph Tomorrow's Crucifixion, depicting a model wearing a gas mask while on a crucifix caused much controversy when published in the English Press in 1938. The image is now considered one of the major pre-war photographs of the 20th century.
Playboy and Penthouse
Playboy magazine, founded in 1953, achieved great popularity and soon established the market for men's and lifestyle magazines. Erotic photography soon became closely associated with it and gained increasing public attention.
Founded in 1965, Penthouse magazine went a step further than Playboy and was the first to clearly display genitals, initially covered with pubic hair. The models looked usually directly into the camera, as if they would enter into relationship with the mostly male viewers.
Cleo and male nude
In the 1970s, in the mood of feminism, gender equality and light humour, magazines such as Cleo included male nude centrefolds.
Unlike the traditional erotic photographs, which use any attractive female subjects, the male nude photographs are usually of celebrities.
Internet
The spread of the Internet in the 1990s and increasing social liberalization brought a renewed upsurge of erotic photography. There are a variety of print and online publications, which now compete against the major magazines (Playboy, Penthouse) and cater for the diverse tastes.[22] There are a large number of online erotic photography sites, some of which describe themselves or are so described by others as pornography.
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Warrior Male erotic photo by Cosme Madini
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Erotic nude study of a man
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Modern erotic photo of a woman
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Angel Wings nude photo by Jean-Christophe Destailleur
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Controluce-5 by Giovanni Dall'Orto
See also
References
- ^ Palmer, Alex. "When Art Fought the Law and the Art Won". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ Bayley, Stephen. "A Brief History of Erotic Photography". Sotheby's. Sotheby's Auction House. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ "Who Is Adah Menken?". The Great Bare. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ Cross, J.M. (2001-02-04). "Nineteenth-Century Photography: A Timeline". The Victorian Web. The University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
- ^ ISBN 1-4172-2885-7. Archived from the originalon 2010-08-22. Retrieved 2006-10-21.
- ^ Marshall, Peter. "Nude photography, 1840-1920, Part 1: The Body". About: Photography. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 2007-02-18.
- ^ "LisaSkirts.com". Archived from the original on 2006-03-10. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
- S2CID 36512205. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
- ^ Klein, Alexander. "Sir Charles Wheatstone". Stereoscopy.com. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
- ^ Schaaf, Larry (1999). "The Calotype Process". Glasgow University Library. Archived from the original on 2006-06-19. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
- ISBN 978-1877864421. p.86.
- ISBN 978-2862343945
- ^ "Fernande 1910s Nude Model". Paper Icons. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
- ISBN 978-2862343945.
- ^ "Alexandre-Jacques Chantron (1842 – 1918)". Julian Simon Fine Art. Archived from the original on 2012-07-04. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ^ "Tallulahs Classical Nude Poses; Classical Nude Poses of Julian Mandel". Archived from the original on 2006-07-16. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
- ^ a b "Vintage Female Nude Photography from BigKugels.com". Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
- ^ "Arundel Holmes Nicholls". papericons.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-07. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
- ^ Marshall, Peter. "Nude 101: A Beginners Guide to Nude Photography, Part 3: Finding Models". About: Photography. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 2007-06-04.
- ^ Ruiter, André (2024). "The Atrium of Jules Richard". Stereoscopy History.
- ^ Ruiter, André (2024). "Jean Agélou stereoviews". Stereoscopy History.
- ISBN 0-517-54997-2
Further reading
- Hix, Charles & Michael Taylor. "Dream Lovers", in their Male Model: the World Behind the Camera (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1979; ISBN 0-312-50938-3), pp. [164]–186.
- Ralph Gibson "Ralph Gibson. Nude" (Taschen, 2018; ISBN 3836568888).
- Leonardo Glauso. Erotic Photography. Leonardo Glauso (Blurb, 2020; ISBN 171445553X).