Vintage Nude on Zebra Skin Rug

From vintage newsgroups.

Junkie Book Cover

Junkie... Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict, by William Lee aka William Burroughs (Digit Books)

See more Junkie William Burroughs Book Covers

Sex Machines

I first discovered that sex machines weren't 'new' things when I watched Weimar Love: Hot Sex in Pre-Nazi Berlin and learned that they existed in the 1920s. I knew that dildos and even vibrators had been around quite some time, but I thought fucking machines were relatively new to the sex scene.

In The Technology of Orgasm Rachel Maines chronicles over fifty sex devices developed before 1900. Ranging from small hand operated appliances to large steam powered machines (which required a crew, in a separate room, to shovel in the coal), all created under medical 'concern' for curing women of "hysteria".

In the 1930's and 40's, these machines were advertised heavily, if a bit secretively.

Most often they were in women's publications, but sometimes they were marketed to their audience in smutty publications, which clearly shows they were not so much for "hysteria" as pleasure.

Other times they seemed to be more comedic than the advertising they're purported to be -- like with this "Rape - All" copy.

Supposedly made by the "American Rolling & Frigging Mills" company, the copy is "wishful" if not silly.

In case you think this 'ad' is serious, note the corporate location in "Duchebag Wisconsin".

This drew into question, in my mind anyway, if this "Universal Intercourse Machine" wasn't also a joke...

A closer look at this 'ad' (found in a 1930's Tijuana Bible) exposes this too is a joke. Note the small boxed text at bottom left: "Tune in on Station A.S.S. and Hear Big-Tit Mae using a Universal"

For more on real sex machines:

See this review of Weimar Love where you can also watch clips.

Read the first chapter of The Technology of Orgasm

Banned Books Week

The week comes to a close, but readers and collectors are still aware of banned books: Banned And Bound Books.

Pola Negri

Often referred to as a vamp, Pola Negri looked the part, and did in fact have great success with her vamp roles in movies such as Carmen (aka Gypsy Blood) in 1918, Sappho in 1921 and Bella Donna in 1923.

In 1925 she starred in A Woman of the World, and played the comedic role of an Italian Countess who flees Europe after the breakup of her latest love affair for the American Midwest. There she toys with men, slinking, drinking, and smoking. Her glamorous, outrageous tattooed self even takes a whip in hand to her leading man.

However, Pola thought herself as the tragedienne rather than a vamp, suffering great perils only to die at the end of the movie.

This is somewhat ironic for Pola's career suffered as well. Many blame the difficult transition from silent films to 'talkies'. This is a much over-played reason for the stall in her films, for Pola's singing of "Paradise" in A Woman Commands (1932) became a huge hit. Like many silent stars, there was a challenging transition, but Pola was too good of an actress to fail. However, there were issues in her personal life.

Having dumped Charlie Chaplin (seeing him for the manipulative and abusive personality he was), Pola hooked up with Rudolph Valentino (Rudy's story is another altogether). Rumored to be engaged, yet with nothing official to make the claim, when Valentino died in 1926, Pola went a bit nuts... Be it grief or grandiose grandstanding, I do not know...

Not only did she announce that they had planned to marry, but she followed the train that carried his body from New York to Los Angeles and posed for photographers at every stop. At his funeral, dressed in an outrageous $13,000 black costume, she shrieked relentlessly and repeatedly fainted. Pola also arranged for a $2,000 bed of red roses with her name POLA spelled out in white roses at the center to be placed on Valentino's coffin.

As if this weren't enough, after the funeral, she continued to make publicity waves. There was the announcement in Photoplay Magazine that Pola was going to erect a glorious marble wedding cake to sit atop his tomb (the confectionery was never built) and the claim she filed against Valentino's estate (for $15,000 with interest) for a money she had lent to Valentino to buy property on which to build a home.

While many of Valentino's friends denounced her "engagement" to Valentino and actions as publicity stunts, Valentino's brother and a few others stood by Pola's claims.

If it was publicity Pola was after, she got it. But if it was more fans, she lost that bet. Her box office draw and fan mail (at least in the US) were hit hard.

Quickly Pola ended up in a 'rebound' marriage to Prince Serge Mdivani. (Her second marriage; the first to a Count.) This only furthure hurt her career in the US. Her two so-called best movies, Barbed Wire, and Hotel Imperial came out at this time, but were not huge box office winners.

Although her films continued to do well internationally, there was The Hollywood Production Code (aka the Hays Code) and The Hays Office. They put the end to her vamp roles, her main draw internationally. But by now it was 1928, and her contract with Paramount was up.

Pola voluntarily chose not to renew this contract. In fact, she retired from films. This because she was now an expectant mother and wanted to devote her life to raising a family.

But Pola miscarried. In her depression she turned to alcohol and it was only at the urging of her mother that she got back into films. Pola then made a very important film, The Woman He Scorned (also known as The Way of Lost Souls and Street of Abandoned Children, the later for a filming location).

Made in 1929, it is considered to be one of her best silent films and certainly one of the best examples of Pola as the tragedienne. It's the story of a young English man who sails to France where he defends a young girl (Pola) who dances in a French port red light district against her pimp/boyfriend. Naturally the girl sees this kindness as something wonderful, and she runs after him, begging him to take her away with him. He does. After traveling stormy seas together, he agrees to marry the poor girl. She in turn tries to adapt to the role as housewife. But just as she begins to settle in and forget her past, the old boyfriend shows up. Wanted for murder and running from the law he forces the young wife to give him shelter. She lies to the police but eventually confesses to her husband, who angrily demands she never see him again. Of course, like most bad-seed ex-boyfriends, he continues to hound her. Soon she is caught helping him and her husband disowns her. Dejected, she gets into the boat her husband had given her for their anniversary and rows herself out to the sea. A storm approaches, convincing you of her fate...

It's hard not to think of her own personal losses while watching this film.

In 1931, more stormy seas for Pola. She was dumped by Prince Sergei after accusing him of mishandling her investments during the stock market crash of 1929. (Her sister-in-law Mae Murray would also be dumped by her Prince David two years later.)

Pola did make more films (for a complete list of Pola Negri films, see IMDB), but none in the US until 1943's Hi Diddle Diddle; Pola returned to her film roots in Germany. In 1932, Pola was promoted as if a new sensation -- or at least a new singing sensation for her performance singing "Paradise" in Forbidden Paradise had become a huge hit. But now Europe had it's own problems: Hitler and the Nazis.

Pola was making films for the UFA (Union Film Alliance) Studios which became under Nazi control. From 1935-1938 she made propaganda films. When propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels suspected Pola was part Jewish, he ordered her barred from the industry. But Hitler was highly enamored of her 1935 film Mazurka and overruled Goebbels decision.

Pola was even linked to Adolph romantically. When questioned about this in a 1936 interview, she said, "Why not? There have been many important men in my life. Valentino, for example." Yet, Pola later successfully sued the French magazine for 10,000 spreading such rumors.

As I mentioned, Pola would eventually return to America and make films, Hi Diddle Diddle in 1943 and The Moon-Spinners, her last film, in 1964.

In 1970 she wrote Memoirs of a Star, which was said to be, upon its release, "true in essence if not in details" by film historian William K. Everson in The New York Times, meaning Everson acknowledged that Pola changed her age, the location of her birth and herself didn't acknowledge some of her films.

She died of pneumonia after struggling a brain tumor for two years (refusing treatment), at the age of 93, on August 1, 1987 in San Antonio, Texas. Her memorabilia archive was left to the Blume Library at St. Mary's University (located in San Antonio, Texas). There, among her papers lies a carbon copy of her typed replies to an unknown journalist's interview questions (seen here, and I confirmed this personally with Brother Robert Wood, the person in charge of Special Collections at the Blume Library, as the quotes seem to good to be true).

The following is taken from that confirmed carbon copy dated 1978:

Your question -- did I introduce sex into films.

Yes, I was correctly quoted in saying I introduced sex into films in the 20's, but it was sex in good taste and left a great deal to one's imagination. For example -- in "Forbidden Paradise" (a filmed satire of Catherine the Great of Russia) directed by Ernst Lubitsch, my favorite director since we started our careers in Berlin on Max Reinhardt's stage -- the Czarina invites her aide-de-camp to visit her in her private budoir (the aide was played by Rod La Roque who was over 6' tall). According to the part he was very stiff and shy during the visit as he had left his fiancee waiting for him in the garden by the goldfish pond. The Czarina was trying to kiss him, but to no avail, as he was much taller and she only reached to his shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a footstool and reached out with her foot to pull it closer, stepped onto the stool and was then the same height as he -- she put her arms around him and kissed him. He responded to the kiss. In the next shot the cameras zoomed to the fiancee who noticed the lights in the Czarina's room go out and the camera then turned to the pond where two goldfish were making love.

Subtle sex suggestives were also used in my other films, including "Woman of the World" directed by Mal. St. Clair and practically all my films I made in Europe in the early days before I signed a contract with Famous Players-Lasky and later Paramount.


Your question on films of today.

The presentation of hard core pornography, brutality and shocking language, from what I hear, is leaving the public jaded and tired of this kind of film. Of course, Hollywood is still making some excellent pictures which reflect the great artistry that made Hollywood famous throughout the world, but these films are exceptions, judging from box office returns and press reviews.

Pola Negri: Some say she's not remembered. They are wrong.

Go here for Pola's childhood and early years and here for more about Pola and the documentary Life is a Dream in Cinema: Pola Negri.

For films, check Grapevine Video, Sunrise Silents and here.

Bettie Page Films

The Notorious Bettie Page is now available over at alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.vintage.

You may also want to check out Bettie Page: The First and Only Live Interview DVD.

The 1920's: The Start of Women on the Hoods of Cars

Women laying suggestively on the hoods of cars has been around since the beginning of the automobile, as evidenced by this photo.

In this particular photo, she sits atop the car's hood and straddles the hood ornament which stands up proudly between her stockinged thighs -- or rather the bare flesh above her stockings.

Hmm, I wonder what the photographer was trying to say with this photograph...

Circa 1920's, and from vintage newsgroups.

Billie Dove

These Billie Dove paper dolls (found via a link at Slip of a Girl) are amazing.

For a bio on Billie, go here, but here are some interesting Facts, Rumors and Mysteries about Billie Dove:

Fact: Billie Holiday did name herself after the first name of her favorite movie star, Billie Dove.

Fact: Billie did have a romantic relationship with Howard Hughes. They met when he was starting to make a name for himself as a film producer -- she was the blonde on his arm at the opening of Hell's Angels. The Billie Dove-Howard Hughes romance was the talk of Hollywood because both Billie and Howard were still married to other people; she to Irwin Willat, and he, to Ella Rice.

Fact: Billie Dove was a pilot.

Rumor: It is rumored that Hughes paid Willat between $35,000 and $325,000 to have Willat agree to a divorce from Billie (Dove and Willat did divorce in 1929).

Fact: Hughes did buy-out Dove's contract from First National Studios and signs her to his own studio, Caddo Pictures (for $50,000 a movie). She stars in his films The Age of Love and Cock of the Air -- both are financial failures.

Mystery: Though the couple was considered on the verge of marrying, and rumors of engagement still exist, their relationship did end -- for reasons Billie never disclosed. Hughes often called her the one great love of his life and Billie always retained warm feelings for him.

Mystery: Though Billie and Hughes had a well-known relationship for over 3 years, and he professed to still love her, why was she cut out of the recent Hughes film, Aviator?

Tricky Dick Sexy Collectibles

"Liberated Lovelies for Nixon 1972" and "Lick Dick in '72" buttons: Classic anti-Nixon items I now covet, thanks to Fun With Dick and Shame.

Who knew President Nixon collecting could be so fun and sexy?

Nude Lady Nodder Legs & Fan Ashtray

I have the base, or bed, to one of these old ashtrays.

I knew what it was, even without the nodder legs and fan, so I grabbed it for a mere quarter.

I thought I would be able to find the legs at least -- surely someone has broken the base, right?

So far, no luck. But I still look.

I smoke, so I'd love to see her at work ;)

Dancer with Pasties Photo

From vintage newsgroups, I think this might be Candy Barr?

Valentine's Day Warning Postcard

This Valentine greeting sends a warning...

Behind the all-business, matronly suffragette's raised fist there is a heart wearing a pair of pants (with suspenders making an 'X'), with "Back to the background" beneath it.

The postcard's text reads:

Be careful, men, of the advocate
of woman's rights in the single state
If you marry one,
your trouble's begun--
You'll count for less than half your weight!

Clearly an anti-suffrage card to be sent on Valentine's Day to express love -- and protective instincts towards -- one's 'brother'.

This Valentine Greeting, is dated 1906, © Raphael Tuck & Sons' Valentine Post Card, Series No. 5.

Jules Erbit Pinup

From my personal collection comes this nude pinup by Jules Erbit.

This lovely redhead is perched on a rock, with water at her feet and holds a shell to her ear.

I also have this print by Erbit.

Nudes and even bathing suit pinups are rather rare by Erbit. He specialized in more seemingly sedate but still sensual works, which you can see in this pinup gallery.

For more pin ups by Erbit, check here.

Giving Head to Aphrodite

In spring of 2006 Mrs. Lawrence Copley Thaw, Sr. of New York, consigned a marble figure of Aphrodite to Sotheby's June 2006 sale of antiquitiess. The 4-foot-6-inch statue is a marble copy from the late 1st century A.D. of an earlier Greek bronze sculpture. (Many scholars argue that Aphrodite is the most widely reproduced female statue in antiquity.) As is not uncommon with Antiquities, the figure was missing parts -- in this case, her head and one arm were missing.

Sotheby's experts did some research after one of them, Mr. Florent Heintz, remembered an engraving published in 1836 of the complete figure. Mr. Heintz thought he remembered that Sotheby's had sold a similar head in 2002. Was it possibly the one belonging to Mrs. Thaw's headless figure?

Sotheby's then contacted the private collector who had purchased the head in 2002. The owner graciously offered to bring it from Houston, Texas, where she lived, to New York to see if Mr. Heintz's theory proved correct. When the head arrived in New York, the dimensions of the neck, grain of the marble, weathering of both pieces, style of carving, tilt and turn of the head, combined with the existence of the engraving, proved that the head did in fact belong with the body.

At the June 2006 auction, where the headless statue was to be auctioned off, the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University bid on her and won her for $968,000. Since the owner of the head had agreed to make the piece available for private sale exclusively to the successful purchaser of the body, the museum was immediately able to purchase the head for $50,000.

Thus, Aphrodite has had her first documented head since 1836.

"This is an incredibly exciting moment for our institution. We are actively building a collection of Ancient Art of peerless quality and this piece is without question the finest Aphrodite in the United States. The opportunity to own a piece of this importance in its entirety was irresistible and she will assume a position of prominence in our collection," said Jasper Gaunt, Curator of Greek and Roman Art at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. (Yet, the only thing visible on their website is the head.)

Now the questions remains, who has Venus de Milo's arms?

Collecting Peter Arno's Works

Peter Arno perfected the single speaker captioned cartoon, is the father of the gag cartoon, and is a master illustrator.

His cartoons may not be what you think of as far as the Golden Age of Comics, but his use of humor to make editorial statements about society certainly gives him a place in the Golden Age of satirical art. And let's not forget that his depictions of voluptuous women being pursued by lecherous men are not only a wonderful treat for the eyes, but broke ground for the cartoons and illustrations seen in Playboy today.

As a huge fan of Peter Arno's work, I naturally collect his works as I can.

I'm not going to write a bio for Arno because the definitive Peter Arno biography, including more art, is here. (Seriously the best anywhere.) But I will tell you collectors a bit more about where to find Arno's work.

In the mid-1930s cartoons and comic strips briefly dominated advertising. So, the work of Peter Arno appeared not only in The New Yorker as 'content', but also in the ads as well. This includes advertising in other magazines in the 1930s.



Arno even appeared in an ad for Angus Scotch whiskey.



Along with ads, his work appeared in anthologies, playbills etc. So there are plenty of places to look for Arno besides his books.

Just take a look at what a search for "Peter Arno" turns up at eBay!

His books though, are gems. Here's a list of Peter Arno's books:

Whoops, Dearie (1927)
Parade (1929)
Hullabaloo (1930)
Circus (1931)
Circus (London: The Bodley Head 1933)
Favorites (1932)
For Members Only (1935)
Cartoon Revue (1941)
Man in the Shower (1944)
The Bedside Tales (1945)
The Peter Arno Pocket Book (1946)
Sizzling Platter (1949)
Crepes Suzettes (1950)
Ladies and Gentlemen (1951)
The New Peter Arno Pocket Book (1955)
Hell of a Way to Run a Railroad (1956)
The Penguin (1957)
Lady in the Shower (1967)
Peter Arno (1979)

A note to collectors: as usual, books with dust jackets are rare, but this is especially true for 'Favorites'.

I recommend looking for Peter Arno's books at ABE; book dealers know what they are talking about as far as conditions.

Arno's work can also be found in Sketch Book of American Humorists (1938, and collectible for several reasons), College Humor (1937), Helena (1950, dustjacket illustrations for Evelyn Waugh), and The Bedsides Tales: A Gay Collection (1945, illustrations).

This list is by no means 'all'; if you have other titles or know of other works, please post them in the comments area!

Politically Incorrect Swizzle Sticks

The auction for these stir sticks ends in just a few hours (so if you want 'em, bid now!), so I figured I'd best borrow the photo and comment as quickly as I can.

I've never seen these before, and I am completely charmed -- in an utterly perverted sense of the word 'charmed', I am sure, but nevertheless, I love these! As a collector, these non-PC items thrill me. As a woman, I am both horrified and amused by the depictions of the aging process... I'd like to add that while these are about black folks, I'd be equally enthralled if these women were white. But they are not. Undoubtedly, as Black Americana, they will get 3 times the final bid of white chicks too. But on to my horror & delight...

If you look closely, inside each woman's abdomen (or uterus) is a number, her age. Note at 15 how firm her breasts are, but at 30, they begin to droop... let's not even talk about 40. And apparently, women look so bad after 40, there's no sense in making a swizzle stick.

I think I need a drink after this ;)

PS I found these by watching the ebay feed on the sidebar -- that thing will be the death of my bank account yet.

Raphael Kirchner

Lovely art by Raphael Kirchner.

I just love this image with the doggie -- I have one who looks just like it!

I found the image digging around in the vintage newsgroups. There was no information, but with Kirchner's name on it, I am certain it was an old postcard.

I'm off to ebay to see if I can find the real postcard or print... But before I go, some info on Kirchner...

Raphael Kirchner was born in Vienna in 1876 and attended the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in the city. He went to Paris at the turn of the century, where he remained until the outbreak of war in August 1914. Then he moved to the United States.

Kirchner produced a wide variety of postcards in Europe, but is chiefly renowned for his erotic illustrations which are very much like more modern pin up girls. Kirchner's "Geisha" series was the most successful. It was reprinted four times, for a total of 40,000 copies.

While he produced in excess of 1,000 postcards during his short lifetime, his postcards cards are not commonly found in America because Kirchner died on August 2, 1917, (in New York) when was just 41 years old.

Collectors may still find Kirchner postcards. To help date them, use these tips:

* The earliest cards have undivided backs. They are also recognized by a strong art nouveau style and chromolithograph printing.

* The middle period always has the title of the individual postcard printed on the back, in French.

* The late period cards have the publisher's name on the front of the card. (Usually Burton or Alpha.)

Get Raphael Kirchner posters.

**Addition/Update**

I found it! But it's not cheap... poo

The UK's Hugh Hefner

Meet UK photographer George Harrison-Marks, who can be compared to America's Hugh Hefner in terms of magazine publishing and humor. George published Kamera Magazine from 1957 to 1968.

While George may not have become the icon or the rich business man that Hugh did, there's a similar treasure to be found in old Kamera issues.

Thanks to Fleshbot for the lead.

News from Tura

Tura Satana writes:

Hi Gang:

This is the easiest way to tell everyone that they have to watch Turner Classic Movie Channel on October 20th, it is on a Friday. TCM is adding a new show every friday night called UNDERGROUND and it is hosted by Rob Zombie of singing fame. Anyway, they will be showing FPKK for the first time on TV and that this is the 40th anniversary of the film. Haji, Lori and I, all did interviews for the this first viewing. I am hoping that you will all be watching on the 20th of
October at 11 p.m. Pacific time, 9 p.m. Central and 8 p.m. eastern. It should be a nice showing.

See you there! Make the note on the calendar, so you don't forget or I come to getcha!!!!!

As Always,

Tura Satana

The 18th Annual NYC Collectable Paperback & Pulp Fiction Expo

The 18th Annual NYC Collectable Paperback & Pulp Fiction Expo will be held October 1, 2006 at the Holiday Inn on 57th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues, NYC.

Confirmed AUTHOR guests include:

LINTON BALDWIN, famous 1950s era Lion Books crime author!
ANN BANNON, author of many fine lesbian novels for Gold Medal in the 50s!
JACK KETCHAM, spine-tingling horror author!
MORRIS HERSHMAN, classic 50s Manhunt and paperback crime author!
CHARLES ARDAI, crime author and editor of Hard Case Crime paperbacks!
JOHN NORMAN, famous author of the Gor science fiction novels!

Confirmed ARTIST guests include:
SANDY KOSSIN, classic 60s paperback cover artist also did Bantam Shadow covers!
PETER CARAS, classic 70s era paperback cover artist, also did The Avenger covers!
MARCUS BOAS, current heroic fantasy artist and paperback cover artist!
JOE DEVITO, famous artist in many venues, also covers for Doc Savage paperbacks!

Get the latest news on the expo here.