Smoking Hot Collectibles

In the world of collecting, few areas are viewed as 'inappropriate' as adult collectibles and tobacciana. Somehow, drinking items have always been more favored than dirty smokers (even before such laws against smoking that we have now). Undoubtedly, this is why the two categories often pair up.

Type in 'nude' in EBay's tobacciana category, and you'll find plenty.



I'm not sure he's as erotic an ashtray I've ever seen, but... here he is. Erotica Ashtray entitled 'Johnny': "This lovely piece is made from cold cast resin giving it a real quality feel and being handpainted to perfection this is stunning."

When it comes to erotic form of men, the pickings are slimmer. I'm not sure if this is because women are considered to be more sensitive to nudity or considered 'less visual' or if it's because the female form is always in vogue.

Dolls In Lingerie

A quick collection of links:

For visual stimulation, try Vivas very own online gallery of vintage style pinup photography.

At Sex-Kitten.net, a history of burlesque and a review of Shimmy Magazine (published in small runs -- first issues are going to be collectible!).

Read and view at The Swinging, Swapping Sixties by Earl Kemp.

And, lastly, a look at dolls in lingerie -- this time, it's collectible fashion dolls in vintage style lingerie.

Blumenfeld's Beauty, Is She Rodin's?

In an article at SFGate, about a recent Erwin Blumenfeld show, the following was noted:

One of the most potent pictures in the show is Blumenfeld's 1937 portrait of Carmen, the model who posed for Rodin's timeless sculpture "The Kiss." She was 80 when the photograph was made, a weary-looking woman with sagging breasts and a down-turned mouth. Perhaps only Blumenfeld, who was fascinated by the transience of beauty and the passage of time, would think to track down the model a half century after she posed for Rodin.

"She's the model for one of the most celebrated sculptures in history, which is, by anybody's account, the definition of beauty,'' Muller says. "And here she is old, tired of life, like somebody ready to depart this world. ... I think the questions raised by these works are still very pertinent. We're in a time when it's not OK to look old, when everyone wants to look 20 forever."

Known for his nudes, this was a story I had not heard before. While I am interested in Blumenfeld & his works, I find this particularly fascinating due to my obsession with Camile Claudel.

I'd heard Claudel herself was the woman who posed for 'The Kiss' -- and in fact, the love affair between Claudel and Rodin is even more legendary that the sculpture itself for me.

Ever since I have seen the movie, Camille Claudel, I have been wondering about their love, her madness and the big historical question: Is it she who is the real genius behind works credited to Rodin?

The film itself is wonderful. As another reviewer puts it:

no matter how many times you see it, it rips you wide open each time...

Isabelle Adjani plays the lead, Camille, who is gifted with real talent, that surpasses that of master sculptor Auguste Rodin (played by Gérard Depardieu). Even more painful than the curse of being female in a time when women's options were limited, is her misfortune in love. This movie explores more than an artist, more than a slice of time, but a real look at souls. Adjani looks 'more luminous than any form of art' says Gracie 'and yet even her beauty cannot stop the ugliness of this film.'

So now, is the story of the photo of Carmen correct? Is she the woman behind Rodin's 'The Kiss' -- or is Camille? Is Rodin even its creator? Or is Camille both model and artist?

More On Pulps

Pulp novels are popular, so I've said, and MSN's Slate agrees, with it's Pulp Fiction Week.