High-Five Fridays #7

1) Angela brings us Dietrich Singing Seeger.

2) Art Frahm's panty falling art, via Slip of a Girl.

3) Geocached panty stash?

4) Nude photos of Edwidge French, anyone?

5) Info on "Living Pictures" or "Tableau Vivant" (plus a frilly knickers video!)

Find out how to give your High-Five Fridays here!

The purpose of this meme is to give high-fives to 5 people, posts, blogs and/or websites you've admired during the week. I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 5 high-fives on Friday. Trackbacks, pings, linky widgets, comment links accepted!

Visiting fellow High-Fivers is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your High-Fives in others comments (please note if NWS).

Find more High-Five Friday folks here!

** Remember, Mister Linky use is for those #1 participating in the meme (this week's High-Five Friday) and #2 who leave a comment. Thank you!

Dorothy Dandridge

This glam photo was found at klbndc's photos at Flickr -- a worthy stop for those interested in African-American history, loaded with not just grand old (and rare) daguerreotypes, but a wealth of information from news clippings etc. A must see link. (Hence the 'racism' tag.)

Today She'd Be Called A Cougar

Chéri Hérouard's, Le Chasseur En Peril, Le Coup Ravissant (The hunter in peril... Or the ravishing wolf), published in La Vie Parisienne.

Via asoftblackstar.

Antique Erotic Commentary Illustration

Via LJ's Antique Prints & Illustration Community.

BDSM & Fetish Publication History

Gwen's Leather/BDSM/Fetish History Scrapbook has lots of information of interest to collectors. Look by years for landmark publications, issues & publishers, as well as clubs, persons and events -- including censorship actions.

Note: There are more female covers/images at the site, but few larger than thumbnails; hence the male & gay focused erotic works here.

Petty & Grand Books In 1957

From a 1957 Good Housekeeping, a 'picks and pans' on books:

Francoise Sagan, poor dear, had two of her three books panned. Thus she is the “petty” in the Petty and Grand.

But Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged was “grand”.

She even had her photo included in the feature.

Another excellent CQ post on the context of magazines and pop culture. Read it.

Petting Taboo Among These Young Ladies

"Besides petting is old-fashioned and we are modern."

Via SpuzzLightYear.

1963 Jet Magazine: Why Girls Become Shake Dancers

Via SpuzzLightYear.

Sugasm #119

The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants. Want in Sugasm #120? Submit a link to your best post of the week using this form. Participants, repost the link list within a week and you’re all set.

This Week’s Picks
The Rule of Blowjobs for Women
“Tease. Spend time. Don’t just start out like a Hoover on overdrive.”

Commercialising Romance or “I bought you this card now where’s my blowjob?”
“If it takes a specific date for your partner to show you he loves you then what do you have?”

Relax
“She smiled up at him, from her vantage point between his knees, and continued what she’d been doing.”

Mr. Sugasm Himself
Questions…

Editor’s Choice
Hazards of the Biz

More Sugasm
Join the Sugasm

See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.

Erotic Writing and Experiences
Catalina loves Fantasies (about Friends)
Clit Notes
Distractions
Erin with a capital oooaaaaahhh
I saw and I came!
I will take Pancakes with a side of Camel Toe!
No Special Occasion
Phantom Fire
A Promise Kept
Quickie in men’s room
Relax
The Reunion (Part I)
Sanctuary
Wake me up with your tongue a Friday night bedtime story

Sex Advice
The 3 Best Positions for MFM Threesomes
I Didn’t Use a Condom

Sex News, Reviews & Interviews
The Bedpost Interview: Lux Alptraum
Cop Seduced By Hot Tranny & Forced To Suck Cock
Njoy fun wand
Ode to my hitachi magic wand
Screaming Orgasm from Mr Vacuum
Review: Working Sex, Sex Workers Write About a Changing Industry
Stoya Bot HotMovies Interview
Texas Make Up For Lost Time With FREE Sex Toys!

Thoughts on Sex and Relationships
Feminist Carnival #53
Of Lust, Loss, Film Stars & Humor (Or, Get Me On Vince’s Bus)
Polyamory is SCARY!

Sex Work
Pictures from Last Night: Playing Dress Up

BDSM & Fetish
Dark Hearts…A BDSM Fantasy
The Empty Gas Tank - my first spanking video!
Gabriel, and self realization
I Love
Losing my virginity…with canes WF #4
She likes to feel pretty.
Shoe Slut
Smutty Talk
Today

Sex Humor
How To Tell If That Domme You’re Emailing Is Really A Man
How Do You Explain It?
Unusual And Tasteless Gifts For Valentine’s Day

NSFW Pics, Videos & Audio
Black lips suck cock the best
Fetish Model January Seraph Is Tied To A Table Top
The Heart knows it’s presence, Unbound
Highlands
Kristyna - Funny Shave
Kyla Cole
Met Art: Lisa, Sharon & Jenya; Monika; Valleria; Vika
My reading on YouTube
Nude by Didier Carre
The Red HNT
Satine Phoenix Is A Feminine Feline Fantasy In This Corset And Collar

This Really Frosts My Cake

From this retro Magic in Frosting book comes this risque cake of a couple sharing a bed.


I bet this really 'frosted' those who pushed the 'marrieds in twin beds' philosophy.

Found via Planet Fabulon.

High-Five Fridays #6

#1 Stinky LuLu for cool movie news & views.

#2 I mentioned the excellent post DeeDee made about Sean Young & James Woods, but there's interesting legal talk about it all now, so check that out.

#3 A high-five "thanks" to Violet Blue for the mention/link.

#4 Peaches and Dreams show us the softer side of Napoleon.

#5 William at Hang Fire books shows us Marilyn Chambers' Love Oil.

Find out how to give your High-Five Fridays here!

The purpose of this meme is to give high-fives to 5 people, posts, blogs and/or websites you've admired during the week. I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 5 high-fives on Friday. Trackbacks, pings, linky widgets, comment links accepted!

Visiting fellow High-Fivers is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your High-Fives in others comments (please note if NWS).

Find more High-Five Friday folks here!

** Remember, Mister Linky use is for those #1 participating in the meme (this week's High-Five Friday) and #2 who leave a comment. Thank you!

Dating in 1957

The Date Line: Facts & Fancies for the Girl in School, by Jan Landon (from the November 1957 issue of Good Housekeeping) has this bright-but-odd glimmer of dating in the 50's.

"Fix-up files" are made by Midwest girls to simplify arranging blind dates... they're wallet albums of their girl friends' pictures with statistics and interests listed on the back for the benefit of inquiring boys...

As a collector, I'd love to find one of those wallet albums.

See more dating oddities (such as girls begging for the chin straps of football players) and teen language deciphered here.

Mae West: Driven From Drink?

Via The Orange Papers The Religious Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps:

When she seemed to have been bitten by the "get religion" bug, she met with Frank Buchman and endorsed MRA. The Buchmanites exploited her name for all it was worth, and widely reprinted a picture of her posing with Frank Buchman while holding a Moral Re-Armament book, and quoted her praising MRA or Frank Buchman. But the New York Times writer B. R. Crisler came up with one of the best lines when, in his spoof of Hollywood foolishness, he awarded the title:

Profoundest Philosophical Reflection: Mae West's statement to Dr. Frank Buchman, head of the Oxford Movement, on the occasion of their historical meeting: "I owe all my success to the kind of thinking Moral Rearmament is."
New York Times, "CIRCUS OF SUPERLATIVES", B. R. Crisler, January 7, 1940, page 135.

One of Mae West's biographers had a very different take on the encounter. He wrote that Mae West was using Frank Buchman in a publicity stunt:

Universal's publicity department, remembering all the attention Mae and Billy Sunday had reaped from their meeting, persuaded a famous but naïve religious leader to come up and see her. Even a bemused B. R. Chrisler of The New York Times devoted considerable space to this manipulation, commenting, "As startling in its way as the Nazi-Soviet pact was the unexpected interview between Mae West and Dr. Frank Buchman, the English theologue, who is the leader of the so-called Moral-Rearmament Movement on the Pacific Coast."
Maneuvering Dr. Buchman onto a sofa beneath a nude painting of herself for the benefit of photographers, Mae, effulgent in a sheer pink negligee, assured him that she owed all her success to the kind of Moral Rearmament he represented. The guileless Buchman replied: "You are a splendid character, Miss West. You have done wonderful work, too, in pleasing and entertaining millions with your charming personality." Dr. Buchman apologized that he was an amateur at this kind of thing, but Mae told him he was doing fine and inquired whether he had met W. C. Fields. Buchman hadn't, and Mae regretted this, telling him, "Moral Rearmament is just what Bill needs. Give it to him in a bottle and he'll go for it." Having scored all her points, Mae allowed the press agents to escort Dr. Buchman back to a world in which he was more experienced.
MAE WEST, a biography, George Eells and Stanley Musgrove, page 193.

Of Monroe Doctrines

I don't usually bother with coins, but Derek's article on the new Monroe dollar reminds me of something:

This isn’t the first time Monroe has been on the obverse of a coin, although the first time around he had to share the honor with a friend: in 1923, the Mint commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine with a special half-dollar, with the heads of Monroe and his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams (who will appear on a dollar himself May 15th). It wasn’t actually the Mint’s idea for the commemorative dollar: the commemorative coin was part of an elaborate plan to clean up and improve the public image of the California film industry. 300,000 of the coins were minted at the San Francisco mint and distributed in California — they are relatively uncommon, but not unobtainably rare. Several have sold on eBay from $20 to $80, depending on condition.

From that link, regarding Monroe's first coin, I am reminded of jokes about the Monroe Doctrine. They've been the pun-ery and titular fodder for Hollywood-esque headlines involving Marilyn Monroe -- and as scathing comment on US politics. But before Marilyn, there was another Hollywood connection to James Monroe. Again from the coin article link, a bit of Hollywood history:

Scandals were beginning to severely tarnish the reputation of the studios’ stars and directors. Within only a few months director William Desmond Taylor was murdered under mysterious circumstances, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was indicted for the murder of a minor actress, and actor Wallace Reid died from a drug overdose. The studios responded by launching a public relations campaign that they hoped would help restore public confidence in the movie industry. Two committees were formed. One, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, developed over the next decade into a self-regulating censorship board. The other, the American Historical Revue and Motion Picture Historical Exposition, was a civic-minded organization whose public relations staff found it had little to promote.

Searching for a way to raise funds, the Historical Exposition decided that a commemorative coin would do the trick, and in the process would generate much-needed goodwill for the film industry. The only problem was there were no convenient centennial or jubilee celebrations that California could legitimately claim in 1923. The most obvious historic event correlating with 1923 was the 150th anniversary of the 1773 Boston Tea Party. But in 1773, California was a largely unpopulated province in the Spanish Empire with no connection to New England. This dilemma was finally resolved by Congressman Walter Lineberger. Introducing a bill to authorize the Monroe Doctrine Centennial half dollar, Lineberger reasoned that Monroe Doctrine prevented England, Spain, and Russia from claiming and occupying California. While this was nothing more than historical fiction, apparently Lineberger and his fellow representatives had little concern for such details. On January 24, 1923, legislation was passed authorizing the minting of no more than 300,000 Monroe Doctrine Centennial halves: the coins were to be struck at the San Francisco Mint and distributed by the studio’s Historical Exposition committee.

The front of the coin featured Monroe and his Secretary of State in 1823, John Quincy Adams; the back "in its final form is unquestionably one of the most unusual and daring design motifs ever placed on a U.S. coin.

In place of the relief maps of the continents, Beach substituted two female figures which were contorted into a rough approximation of the shape of each land mass. The North American figure holds a branch in her left hand in the area of northern Canada while extending a twig to South America through Central America with her right hand. The South American figure holds a cornucopia with her right arm. The major ocean currents of the Atlantic and Pacific are also included, and apparently represent the flow of goods between the two continents, unimpeded by the European powers. In the lower left reverse field the centennial dates 1823-1923 flank both sides of a scroll and quill, symbols clearly intended to suggest the Monroe Doctrine. Chester Beach’s initials are found near the reverse rim at the four o’clock position and the inscriptions MONROE DOCTRINE CENTENNIAL and LOS ANGELES encircle the border. Struck in low relief, the design overall is uninspiring. The reverse motifs are novel and would indicate a certain creativity on the part of Beach were it not for the fact that the draped female figures shaped as two continents were actually copyrighted in 1899 by artist Ralph Beck and used by Beach for the seal of the Pan-American Exposition of 1901.

The artist, more commonly known as Raphael Beck or A. Raphael Beck, did in fact create the clever female continent design. Beck's work, among over 400 submissions, was chosen as the official logo by the Pan-American Exposition Company for the expo in 1901 and official souvenirs, (silver spoon image via Sipler).



In other words, the deal with the first Monroe coin was to promote a more pure Hollywood -- with a completely fabricated story & a coin with appropriated art. Nice new image, Hollywood.

Related:

Complicated Women: Sex & Power in Pre-Code Hollywood

Pola Negri

Marilyn Monroe: All I Need Is This Doll

Something To Talk About

Thom of Planet Fabulon sends this image of Voluptousness equation, 2003, oil on canvas, by Roman Tolici.


We mustn't disappoint -- so start talking. *wink*

Related:

Interview with the Russian artist.

You Know What They Say About The Green Ones

Via Ads of the World, via Sara Winters.

Dirty Decks

I don't know if these are real, but I hope they are! Via Nurse Myra.



Related:

Erotic playing cards at Vintage Nude Photos

All That Flickrs

I'm not much of a fan of Flickr -- far too many folks uploading stuff without information, credits, or even keywords/tags/labels which make much sense (whatever sense folksonomy can make). And I see far too many 'sexy self-portraits' which are anything but. I keep searching for every now and then I find something interesting, such as a collection of risque magazines, pulp book covers, photos of burlesque dancers, or something vintage & smutty with enough information to be either useful or intriguing.

Then a light shines.

I found Joey Harrison's set titled Mom's World. It's absolutely stunning.

Currently 232 photos are in this set. They are excellent photographs, mostly black and white, capturing a time and its sentimentality. While the old axiom that a picture is worth a thousand words is likely true, I find one of the most charming aspects of Harrison's Flickr set is the text commentary by Harrison's mom.

Clearly his mother is an intelligent, articulate women, with a warm sense of humor; this is easy to see in the photos she has taken as well as the photographs taken of her. But along with the commentary I find a thoughtful emotional component which endears. It's not the usual "remember when" that you'll find with many who page through their photo albums; it's not a mere analytical comparison of 'then and now' either. There is something more fierce yet elusive to define in her narrative... These are not simply quaint photos with typical anecdotes.

I first stumbled upon the photo set seeing this photo of 'mom' in her darkroom in 1949.

Something about the polished white jacket spoke of a determination & a professionalism that added complexity to an old photo of a pretty woman developing photos. (Her attire is explained as being her uniform for work at a doctor's office, of which you can see/read about circumcision, and other tales of medicine of the day.)

Clicking to see a larger view, I was naturally curious about the photo in the photo -- of what seemed to be a scantily clad beauty. So I read the comments:

I painted the room a dark rosy red and made traverse draperies of black to cover the one window. It was a warm womb for long Saturday afternoons with the Met playing softly on the radio. I totally lost track of time with the birthing of amazing black-and-white photos. Each was a miracle, over and over again. I'm as fascinated with them today as I was 56 years ago.

There was a small downside. As relatives and friends learned of my hobby they would press exposed rolls upon me to develop. I did a few. Oh, it was agony! Drudgery! Dreary, repetitive, unartful, bland photos. (Long before automatic cameras made even dumb photos at least in focus and properly exposed!)

Not all of the requests were refused. Jerry, smirking a little, produced a roll given him by his young brother Tony, who worked in a neighborhood beer store. Tony asked that I pul-eeze develop a roll for him. He'd been my booster since I met him as the 14-year-old son of my landlady, and he carefully kept track of telephone calls for me. His roll had been shot in the back room of the beer store of ladies of questionable reputation and groping young men, who were not exactly Ivy League! There wasn't any nudity, but a lot of hormones flowed! The props and background were strictly cases of beer. It would be pretty tame stuff by today's standards. But the photos were quite funny actually. If I can locate a negative later, I will share.

On another occasion Jerry produced a roll given him in strictest confidence by a handsome and successful young businessman in Grand Rapids, his customer. He implored Jerry to be absolutely discreet with the photos and negatives. I took it seriously and developed and printed the roll, all full of admiration for the beautiful photos and didn't keep a single one. Jerry then yielded the tasteful prints to his customer.

They were of a gorgeous young woman totally in the buff, posed 16 different ways. For many years, when seeing the handsome man on billboards touting his business, I would get a secret tickle. He married the girl and they raised a large Catholic family.

The 4x5 I am pulling out of the fixer in the photo above showing a gal in her black bra, was Rose Bottegal, the wife of Jerry's Army buddy Aldo. He and Rose visited us in 1949, and while on the water in a rowboat on a steaming day, Rose shed her blouse. Wearing just her bra, she said "Just make believe this is a swimming suit top."

If the photo drew me, the commentary mesmerized me.

I continued to visit all 232 posts, finding each as interesting as the next for one reason or another. Here we see in photographs & ephemera covering life in the late 40's and early 50's -- in that post WWII world where America was headed for suburbia and the nuclear family, where women were to return to a domesticity which has moved generations of women such as myself to moaning and retching.

Yet what emerges is far less threatening -- if far more emotional.




Seeing proof of women chasing men in this time and place:


The marriage and transformation to wife, including the wedding night:

This could just as well have been captioned "Our Wedding Night or How a Bad Photo Resulted in a Lifetime Hobby!"

Jerry's German camera turned out maddeningly random good or bad photos. Of course it was because we didn't know about setting it for distance, let alone shutter speed and f-stop. We posed this morning after our wedding in front of the hotel where we spent the first night of our married life. The picture turned out so badly I was motivated later to take the camera to a store to learn how to operate it and was sold a light meter. The rest is history: the beginning of better photos and a lifetime hobby.

In the hotel room on our wedding night Jerry suggested I bathe first. Avoiding his eyes, I took a few things from a small suitcase into the bathroom: nightgown, toothbrush, and little round plastic box from Dotty's doctor.

What a long day; it felt like it had been two or three. The shower was refreshing and good. I donned the nightgown Dotty gave me at a wedding shower. The delicate tea-rose rayon fell to the floor, skimming the body lightly, bias cut following all of the curves and hollows, wide lace panels defining upper areas. It was chaste but alluring I decided, viewing a mirrored image. Then panic struck.

How would I get from bathroom to bed?

I fidgeted there in the bathroom, trying to figure this out. I wasn't used to parading around in front of men in a nightgown. Suddenly in great relief I noticed my blue satin raincoat hung on the inside of the bathroom door, and put it on over my nightgown. I crept out to the bed shyly and quickly slipped under the sheets, raincoat and all. Jerry smiled slightly and went into the bathroom himself.

The first big hurdle in married life had been met and resolved. I shed the raincoat while Jerry showered; soon he joined me under the sheets. Appropriate events ensued.

Falling in and out of favor with his relatives:

In this 1950 photo we were at a bar owned by Jerry's cousin Al Cimarelli and his wife, Jenny. See the "modern" shape of the bar and the chrome barstools. The seats were surely upholstered in dark red vinyl!

Attending a PSA (Photographic Society of America) convention in Detroit the following year with photographer friends from Grand Rapids, we heard a lecture by Olga Irish, a Brooklyn portrait photographer. She chose me from the audience to come on stage and be used to demonstrate her lighting techniques – fully dressed of course. The next day the Detroit Free Press carried an article about the convention with a large photo of me posing, and all hell broke loose. One of the cousins was appointed to phone Jerry to enquire about my being in Detroit without him, staying in a hotel, not phoning them, etc., etc., all a bad thing in the eyes of these very decent, family-oriented relatives. Jerry wasn't exercising control. I lost favor fast.

The worry and wonder (now) of what happened to Anne:

That’s Jerry’s Uncle Jim holding his son, another Jerry, on his lap. His wife, Anne, sits in the middle. They spent that evening at our apartment, but we didn't see a lot of them. Anne was a little special, and she had spunk. She was quite pretty, dressed nicely, was animated, imaginative, and intelligent. She had talked Uncle Jim into changing the vowel at the end of their name to make it seem less Italian.

Their life changed drastically when Uncle Jim discovered she was having a romance. Jerry told me, "Uncle Jim got rid of her right away. That day." Indeed, she disappeared from sight and conversation. There's so much left wanting here that I want to scream. A child raised without his mother. A woman probably impoverished overnight. Was she so guilt-ridden she didn't seek legal help? Was she so fear-filled and accustomed to that kind of "justice" she simply accepted it? Hers is the saddest story I know. I should say "theirs."

From brunette to blonde...



A baby, our 'Flickr guy,' Joey.

All made more bittersweet with the knowledge that this pretty amateur photographer wife and her handsome younger husband would divorce... No matter how much fun it looked like they had together.


And that one day, the cute baby boy in these photos would upload the story and the images here, to this fantasy digital world unimagined then, to be shared by us all.

"Young Marrieds are married to Peppernell"

And divorced by what, Cannon?

Vintage ad for Lady Peppernell Sheets (1957).

Gosh, I Love It When A Man Spies Old Condoms And Thinks Of Me

Shon sends the following email alert:

Hey there,

I was at a comic book blog, Mighty God King when I saw he had a link to condom envelopes from the 1930's, so of course, I thought of you.

My personal favorites are a tie between the one that says 'Salome' and the one that states simply, 'The best'. I don't know about you but when I want protection from sexual disease and pregnancy, I want a brand that identifies itself with a woman who used her seductive powers to have a good man beheaded.

With all due respect to Shon's position, I'd have to say I have other favorites. Granted, beheading is a larger male fear in this situation, but my favorites are Poncho...


The reasons why should be obvious.

And Pousse L'amour.

That's got to be (one of) my porn star names.

Today's Sexual Harassment; Yesterday's Employment Plan

This would be a WTF moment, if you didn't have the proper context. In this case, the context is WWII women's publication, with the humor playing up how desirable women -- as employees -- were, & the lengths an employer might go to depicted as similar to good old fashioned woo-ing.

High-Five Fridays #5

With all my posting this week, you'd think I'd have no high-fives to give -- but then you'd be wrong.


1) A high-five to Sexactu.com for linking to me. The site is in French, but a quick online translation later I decide they liked me *wink* Lots of things to see, so language isn't necessarily a barrier to enjoyment.

2) The one time when spooning isn't so sexy... cute though, and worth a high-five.

3) A high-five and a grin for vintage ads luring artists with nude models.

4) Retrofap, which, as the title suggests, is entirely made for fappin'. (So I can't technically give them a high-five... Maybe a fap-five?)

5) No Smoking In The Skull Cave (discovered via Kitschy Kitschy Coo) is a new find that I spent quite a bit of time exploring today. Worth a high-five followed by a down-low... We saucy girl bloggers have secret handshakes.

Find out how to give your High-Five Fridays here!

The purpose of this meme is to give high-fives to 5 people, posts, blogs and/or websites you've admired during the week. I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 5 high-fives on Friday. Trackbacks, pings, linky widgets, comment links accepted!

Visiting fellow High-Fivers is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your High-Fives in others comments (please note if NWS).

Find more High-Five Friday folks here!

The Bordello That Was Al Capone's Prison Cell

I'm pretty sure he had sex in here. With a cell like this, I'm just sayin'...

Alice Marie's Eastern State Penitentiary photo group.

The Bare Truth Of Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew
One drink enough to make you hunt the bares

Seen on eBay -- I was hoping to find a better image and more info, but so far, no luck.

The Fine Art of Wenching

Many thanks to Will at Hang Fire Books for sending me to Vintage Girly Mags. Not only are the covers (presumed to be) lovingly scanned, but each single page of the magazine is too. The only draw-back is that there is little text, so you have to 'turn' each thumbnail to get an idea of what is inside. (As a collector I am forever bitching there is not enough text on vintage smut sites. :sigh:)

However, 'paging' through Vintage Girly Mags is worth the effort. For example, you'd otherwise miss this gem in a 1962 issue of Wench.


Inside, on pages 16-17 (and continued on page 68) there's an article by Jay Taylor called The Fine Art of Wenching? which, as expected, is all about how to woo babes.




Here's an excellent passage:

Don't blame a girl for her flaws. Time's a great healer. If she's blacker than tar, tanned is the word to use. If she's cross-eyed, tell her she's like Venus. Thin as a stick? She's willowy. If she's a runt, call her cute. If fat, a full-bodied woman. And don't pass up women past thirty, Ovid says. You're crazy if you do. They're much more skillful in love-making. They don't have to be teased, worked up to a frenzy. They're the kind, he says wistfully, that can keep up with a man. "What I like is the deal that leaves both partners exhausted," he adds confidentially, "What I hate is the girl who gives with a feeling she has too. Dry in the bed with her mind somewhere else gathering wool.

"Duty's very well, but let's not confuse it with pleasure; I do not want any girl doing her duty for me.

"What I like to hear are the words of utter abandon.

But of course all this would make sense to me -- and not just because I'm one of those over 30 women either. This article is based on Ovid's Art of Love.

So not only is 'nothing new' in seduction, but magazines haven't changed much either -- they're still recycling content.

"Make Him Touch His Toes Boys!"

Vintage anti-Hitler propaganda piece.

I wonder if I can get made with W.

From juffrouwjo at Flickr, found via Hugo Strikes Back.

"Life Is Better With Art In It"

His student created the poster below for a scholarship contest at the Art Institutes, and while this smut collector spends much of her time either in a 'porn v art' debate (or trying to avoid one), I proudly declare that life is indeed better with art in it. No matter how you define 'art'.



Even if you secretly believe it would look better with a visible nipple. *wink*

Retro & Risque Comedy Film Posters

Via Planet Fabulon, who raped and pillaged for the medical ones, come these fun British movie posters.




Also not to be missed, the collector's 'mission statement', titled Why Do I Collect?, which begins:

I have encouraged my wife to believe my collection will be worth a fortune to her when I die. I don't think she is totally convinced and is right to be skeptical. It is just the best justification I can come up with for what is a pretty strange and expensive hobby: collecting discarded advertising material.

Oh, just go enjoy the whole site -- you'll be glad you did.

Star Strip Totally Nude Girls

The retro sign -- and club -- still survive. Via LA Seediness.

This would never float where I live -- or any of the places I've lived in for at least the past decade. City ordinances are tightening so fast on such 'loose morality' and 'public displays' that you can actually hear their ass cheeks squeak.

Nice Set

What? I was talking about the old television set. Jeeze.

More vintage male eye candy here.

The Happiness Of Context

As the blog header states: this isn't just smut here, it's sex history. And in order to have better historical perspective you need to understand the time, the place, and the culture of that time and place for 'culture' varies. For example, 1955 New York was not the same as 1955 Nebraska and neither were the same as 1955 Sweden or 1955 Angola (which were not alike themselves) -- even if, to you smut-hounds, the breasts look deliciously the same. (Similarly exotic, enticingly differing breasts may not necessarily be an indication of differing cultures.)

I've written before on the importance of context, either anecdotally or with entire posts such as Context Is The New Bullshit, and if you haven't let that sink into your brains please take a moment to do so; this post will help with that. If you share this love of history in context, then you'll just enjoy this post all the more.

One of the best ways to glean a general overview of times and places, especially with Western cultures, is via newspapers and magazines.

For example, look at 1955 Fargo-Moorhead newspapers. There, along with the news of the day (such as "Yogi Could Be 'Great'" and the odd news item regarding the police's possession of woman's lingerie), and the ads promising pork loin at 39 cents a pound and the debut of the 1956 "PowerStyle" Chrysler, you find old advertisements for films.

In this case, thanks to Deanna (aka Pop Tart) & her husband, Derek (aka Azrael Brown) who wrote the article at Collectors' Quest on the 1955 newspaper & sent me the scan (I love it when collectors share info!), we see this ad for One Summer of Happiness:


This Swedish film, based on the novel Sommardansen by Per Olof Ekström, was originally titled Hon dansade en sommar and was directed by Arne Mattsson after the producer decided he didn't want to "risk Ingmar Bergman's 'Neurotic Vulgarity,' and fired him".

The film starred Folke Sundquist and Ulla Jacobsson as teenage lovers who meet on a farm -- complete with a short outdoor nude swimming scene and "unambiguously implied coitus, minor aspects on which most Swedish critics did not bother to comment in their reviews of its premiere in Stockholm in December 1951."

The film went on to win awards and recognition. Time for sex in Sweden: enhancing the myth of the "Swedish sin" during the 1950s:

For that matter, the sexual aspects drew little attention when Hon dansade en sommar won the coveted Golden Bear award and received more popular approval than any other entry in the Berlin Film Festival the following June (see "Tag" and "Festspiel"). Its score also won a secondary prize that year at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was shown under the title Elle n'a danse qu'un seul ete (see Magnan). Reviews in several European countries were favorable and in some cases definitely enthusiastic. In the United Kingdom, however, One Summer of Happiness was not allowed to be shown until 1953, and in some parts of the United States of America local authorities forbade it entirely.

Once again, the prudes enter the arena and are upset by a little bit of boob. OK, so it likely mattered that it was a story of teen boob; but only the idiot kind of boobs throw out storyline and cinema for a bare breast.

My first thought upon seeing the ad was, "Hell, they had Roxys in Fargo?!" and then, vaguely remembering this film was 'notoriously naughty', I wondered how it had been allowed in theatres in such a conservative, rural, place as 1950's Fargo-Moorhead.

Was I engaging once again in "rampant presentism"? (I love tossing that comment from brave 'anonymous' in now and then; forgive me.) Perhaps I seem to be. But any good or decent historian or anthropologist will allow such reactions -- they are a natural part of human reaction -- and then examine them. To acknowledge my limited experience, knowledge & thought doesn't mean I have to stay stuck in it.

While some places were upset by the film (see info on the 1954 Memorandum of the New York State Education Department regarding this film), places I'd imagined more 'small town' (both in terms of selling tickets and the proverbial closeted attitude) were less likely to make a stink over the film. (Actually, over time the opposite picture is emerging and I'm beginning to see that larger cities are often the ones more inclined to raise such legislative stink -- but that's another musing.)

Now I know that not everyone in 'the charming conservative Midwest' was as prudish in the 50's as I had stereotyped. Point taken; lesson learned.

Related:

For more on this film, in Swedish film context, see Swedish Film 1946-1960.

For a more anecdotal look at how a bit of boob in One Summer of Happiness affected a teenage boy in the 1950's, read a confession in More Nostalgia From the Innocent 1950's: Those Adult Movies.

Risque Valentines

Participating in Mute Monday, the Valentine's Edition...



Vintage risque Valentine via ebay.


Risque Black American Valentine via eBay.




Altered arts cards by Scarlett's Society of Quirky at Etsy.



Cupid Dr. Dan postcard (1908 By Walter Wellman No. 1080) at eBay.

The Sean Young Smoke Screen

You may remember Sean Young as the beautiful replicant, Rachael, in Blade Runner. These days the actress is deemed a joke.

But here's the documented truth about Sean Young and James Woods:

How anyone can lament Young's continued upset over the devastating effects of Woods on her career is astonishing. Labeled a nut-case, a phsyco; black-balled from acting with the brand of "bitch" when she was the victim; what is she supposed to do? Just say, "Hey, that's OK. Lie and treat me like crap and keep me from my career, all because of your twisted ego"?

It's true that women often get the labels while the men get off scot-free -- even if, as in this case, he had to pay a huge settlement. It's the big omission in so many stories, which leads me to believe that something, someone was at work to make sure Young would be left out in the cold & Woods ultimately win.

But what really, really pisses me off is his 'accidental,' "I am sure it is fashionable to bash the guy (yawn) and pity the poor woman."

Amen. And a big YAWN for Woods.

Allan Grynnerup

Via Libida's gallery:

Allan Grynnerup lives in Denmark where he has been an actor since 1981. It wasn’t until 1990 that he seriously began his interest in photography, largely to learn something about himself and his own sexuality.

“I am still fascinated about how many ways you can define motive in a photo,” he says. “When doing a sexy photo shoot, I always try to find the borderline between the erotic and the pornographic. It might be something as subtle as a slight difference in light, camera angle or choice of lens.

“Erotic expression is of course always difficult to capture. It depends not only on the person perceiving the photo but also on the model who is sending the message to the viewer. It’s interesting to me, the varied feedback I get on the same photos -- a range from joy to indignation. It really does come down to what each person brings to a photo in terms of attitude, experience and history. Naturally, the biggest challenge is to communicate and share the experience with as many people as possible.”

More of Grynnerup's erotic works here.

Naughty Needleworks

This embroidered nude sold for just $2.99 (curse me for writing here, not cruising eBay!).

Whenever I see such vintage nude needleworks, it's difficult not to imagine a woman doing such dirty needle deeds hidden in the dark -- like a teen boy with his flashlight & porn, under the covers with hidden delights they craft their illicit works.

Of course now, modern artists aren't hiding. Jenny Hart, Orly Cogan, Whitney Lee, and others are no longer looming under the covers.



From time to time I toy with turning my hand to such artistry; but the allure to collect the older, forbidden pieces is even stronger. Perhaps because they are so difficult to find.



Related:

Nude embroidery pulled from Saskatoon fair.

August Macke, Sitting Nude with Cushions, Machine Embroidery Design

While this last piece, by Karen Paust, is a beaded work, it's too unique not to share.

The Cash Value Of Body Parts

When Asylum says it's not unusual to insure your chest hair, you know they're talking about Tom Jones, right?

He's not the first to insure body parts.

Insuring body parts seems to have begun with koogle-eyed silent film star Ben Turpin, who in the 20's bought a $20,000 policy to protect himself from loss should his his signature crossed-eyes go straight. Two decades later, Jimmy Durante insured his signature nose for $50,000 and Marlene Dietrich bought a $1 million policy on her throaty voice. Betty Grable's million dollar legs were insured for just that, while poor Fred Astaire's were a mere $75,000 per leg (additional $20,000 on his wrists and arms).

The insuring of sexual attributes has become standard. Dolly Parton insured her infamous 42-inch breasts for $600,000, and Poh, a Thai transvestite performer, who, when told that if she flew to an appearance in Edinburgh her breast implants could explode at high altitude, insured her breasts for $500,000. It's so common for Brazilian celebs to insure rear-ends that insurers there coined such policies 'bumbum policies'.

Frankie Jakeman, a British stripper, insured his penis for $1.6 million in 1987. Jakeman, who appears to be be this Frank Jakeman from Quality Indigo (see also here and listings at the Promises Agency), apparently was only working in the adult entertainment industry to own his own zoo. This, naturally, after having been a zoo keeper from 1974 until the the late 70's.

Jakeman's book, Being Frank: The Story of Britain's Number 1 Male Stripper, is now on my list. (And if anyone's got/found images/video of Jakeman, please do send/post!)

But maybe Frank should have insured his hair.

Surely now, Tom's chest hair insurance seems less titillating -- but I still want a few hairs for my scrapbook. Don't look at me that way.

For more on insurance policies for body parts see this article at Insure.com.

Of Lust, Loss, Film Stars & Humor (Or, Get Me On Vince's Bus)

What I am about to discuss is a rare look into the personal life of Silent Porn Star. I do not offer it as a gratuitous glimpse of myself, but rather to illustrate the complexity of arousal and the uniqueness of celebrity status.

I have a personal fetish for a man simply because he looks a lot like one of my former lovers. This lover is now deceased. He died of a brain tumor nearly a dozen years ago. Our stormy relationship, messy separation and short-lived reunion at the time of his diagnosis (further confusing because of his choices in how to spend his time before he died) has always played tricks with my mind. Perhaps our ages have something do with this -- not just his 'too young to die' status, but my own immaturity in how to deal with it. The result is that he is not dead to me.

Instead, he lingers like any long lost lover; in the echoes of my mind he is forever frozen as he was, at the age and appearance of our last interlude, yet he remains alive, wandering about, living his life without me somewhere... The proof that I so believe this is cemented in my hell-hath-no-furry-like-a-woman-scorned anger at the thought of him -- until I remember that he's actually dead. Then I pause, trying to grapple with that fact. I rarely succeed in a real acknowledgment of this. It's an old wound, and very deep; and my denial is only apparently stronger with time.

I do not dream of this man, as some do in -- I think -- similar cases, nor think of him unprompted. However, my breath is taken away with the sight of this man -- or, more factually, the sight of this man who looks so much like him.

And it's not just that this man looks so much like him, but his voice, his humor, and even his mannerisms are so similar that I nearly cry, "Doppelgänger!"

Yet I swoon, all over again.

This celebrity who has the fated position of my fascination is Vince Vaughn, who is all over the news for the much anticipated and now released Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show; a film which, if the trailers are to believed, has my former lover 'written all over it' in terms of humor.


When I watch Vince, I am transported into some fantasy world where my lover is alive and even available for me. I am transported to the days when his arm rested around my shoulders & our laughter rang in my ears -- and, this time, I'm able to lay his darkness to rest in the security of my love. Vince is 'him' and 'he' is Vince. All is well here in this dream. (Even when this general non-celebrity caring girl will occasionally want to kick Jennifer Aniston's ass.)

Does it make me a bad person to flock to Vince's films because I long to pretend that he is my now-dead lover? If it does, then what I do at home to the Vince Vaughn movie rentals & DVD viewing is certainly not to be forgiven. Because, yes, I take the fantasies much further than anything Vince has done on screen.

Sure, Vince is the proverbial tall, dark & handsome. And he's funny. I obviously have a weakness for all of that. I'd like to believe I'd be a fan even if he didn't resemble my former love; but there's no way to know for sure now. He does; and I do.

It doesn't hurt that Dwight Yoakam is also in the film. While I'm not really a modern country music fan, Yoakam's Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose was one of songs I listened to (over & over again) during one of the many break-ups I'd had in that stormy relationship with the man who looked like Vaughn. Talk about your sentimental journey.

The fact that Wild West is a big party boy production, with men being men (read: testosterone fest), means there will be plenty more than just eye candy and my sentiments. Heaven help me, I love men, even at their pull-my-finger worst; but witty men? :swoon: Oh, how I'd love to have been on the tour bus -- flirting with them all, including Vince. (And if he dared to spurn me, Dwight can always sing Turn Me Loose again.)


(No, I won't discuss how Justin Long fits into all of this; I'll just note that he matters too.)

All I can say is that I hope to get to Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show -- but if I don't, I'll be buying the DVD release and adding it to my private viewing pile for many a stay-home and, ah, 'snuggle' night with the Wild West boys.


My point is, that 'celebrity', 'fame', and 'sex icon' status are awards not always given for tangibles which can be counted on. PR machines cannot create them; the people and personas themselves must touch us in some way. Just how they touch us is not always known. I doubt highly that somewhere in America right now there is a focus group dedicated to deciding the next leading male in film based upon his drawing power with female film watchers who've lost a lover to death. (A film, maybe; but not an actor's looks.)

The esoteric 'it' factor can't always be defined, let alone manipulated into marketing. But they still try. Even if only shoot enough would-bes at the wall and see who sticks.

I remember when as a young teen, Tiger Beat et all tried to foist Leif Garret upon us. Yeah, I loved Peter Lundy And The Medicine Hat Stallion (what young girl didn't love a horsey movie?) but I didn't fall for Leif. Peter Lundy? Maybe. However my crush didn't transfer to Leif.

Even when a friend won tickets from the local radio station to attend a Leif Garret concert, the three of us stood there chanting, "Dead!" whenever the other girls yelled, "We want Leif!" (So it was, "We want Leif dead!" --because we were clever, clever teenage girls -- gone wild!)

Perhaps if Leif resembled someone I had attachment to, he would have had a better shot. But his non-threatening white boy status (what marketers continue to thrust at the girls today) just didn't mean a damn thing to me.

While the giant PR machines try to sell us our fantasies and create celebrities they can profit from, there still is no formula they can rely on. And all of this is equally true for the stars of our pornographic dreams. It's not enough to have a big attribute & a pretty face; we want something more. And what that 'something more' is will vary so greatly that it's difficult to make a marketing equation based upon it.

Who could predict that Marilyn Monroe would have more 'it' than Jayne Mansfield? Who can say why Bettie Page lives on while millions of others have not? Who would have known that Parker Stevenson would succeed where Leif Garret failed?

Or just how & why Vince Vaughn will make a grown woman groan.

Come On Up And See...

François Dubeau's (sk)etchings.



OK, so they are ink drawings, not etches, but I like to throw a little history in with a post about modern art works. So sue me.

If you still feel upset looking at all the art by François Dubeau, that is. And I highly doubt you will.

High-Five Fridays #4

If you think collecting erotica is hot, try creating it. Secondhand Rose and Shon Richards discuss masturbation as a part of the creative process in writing.

Curvaceous Dee has put a dirty spin on a classic with Hey Dude.

While we're talking creativity, here's a Mardi Gras haiku from Turkey Necks -- I would have just linked direct-like, but at the time of this posting I only got server errors and 404's when going for the permlink &/or comments. So here is my favorite:

sorority girls
so drunk and, briefly, topless
make their fathers proud.

Lucrezia magazine has an interview with Raphael Perez -- yes, there are art nudes to view. *wink*

And, I would be remiss, if I didn't high-five Mark Frauenfelder of Boing Boing for honoring SPS (for the second time!). This time he noted my Turtles card post -- and added some info too. (No, I won't tell you what it is; you're supposed to visit the mighty Boing Boing! And don't skip the comments either or you'll miss a connection to the Masons.)

Find out how to give your High-Five Fridays here!

The purpose of this meme is to give high-fives to 5 people, posts, blogs and/or websites you've admired during the week. I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 5 high-fives on Friday. Trackbacks, pings, linky widgets, comment links accepted!

Visiting fellow High-Fivers is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your High-Fives in others comments (please note if NWS).

Find more High-Five Friday folks here!

Mail Service

No wonder the postman always comes rings twice.



From a nifty French collection of Sexy Follies.

The Savage 70's

A retro postcard for Casino de Paris at the old Dunes in Las Vegas. Casino de Paris, with it's cast of 100, was conceived, produced and directed by Frederic Apcar, and came to the Dunes in '63.

I cannot make out the artist name on the illustration (no credits are on the back), nor do I know if the nude blonde with a tiger is representative of any particular star. Any help is appreciated.

I just love that the risque card was sent to, "Dear Mother & Father".


According to the image below, via Las Vegas Mikey, Savage '70's started in 1970. (The postcard's postmark is difficult to read; it looks like it could be 1971.)



Related:

* Mondo-Vegas on the Dunes Hotel

* more images & info on Casino de Paris

* a Dunes menu with the same art

* Loulou Gasté (related to photo of Loulou Gasté & Line Renaud in front of classic Dunes sign promoting Casino de Paris, below)

Vintage Turtles Membership Card

An old Official Membership Card for the International Association of Turtles.


The turtles have a very interesting history, and the back of the card reads:

We assume all prospective Turtles own a Jack Ass. On this assumption is the reason for the password.

This password must be given if you are ever asked by a fellow member, "Are you a Turtle?" You MUST then reply "You bet your sweet ass I am." If you do not give the password in full because of embarassment or some other reason, you forfeit a beverage of his choice. So always remember the password.

As all members are of clean mind to become an official Turtle the person must solve the following riddles with clean-minded correct answers:

1. What is it a man can do standing up, a woman sitting down, and a dog on three legs? (Answer: shake hands).

2. What is it that a cow has four of and woman has only two of? (Answer: legs).

3. What is a four letter word ending in 'k' that means the same as intercourse? (Answer: talk).

4. What is it on a man that is round, hard, and sticks so far out of his pajamas that you can hand a hat on it? (Answer: his head).

You are now a member of The Turtle Club. Govern yourself accordingly and produce new members.

Note: The spelling errors are as on the card; and the questions appear to have changed & increased in number according to this quiz. I only got 7 right, so am I'm too dirty to be a turtle? You bet your sweet ass I am.

Sugasm #117

The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants. Want in Sugasm #118? Submit a link to your best post of the week using this form. Participants, repost the link list within a week and you’re all set.

This Week’s Picks
A Fable
“They start touching her, gingerly at first, wondering what magic is in her.”

Fiction: The Island Princess and the Monkeys Who Tie Knots
“You naughty, naughty, NAUGHTY monkeys!”

Sexy Is In Your Mind
“Sexy is an attitude and really all in your mind.”

Mr. Sugasm Himself
Chickipedia

Editor’s Choice
Take a walk on the wild side.

More Sugasm
Join the Sugasm

See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.

Erotic Writing and Experiences
Ass-tastic!
Crave - Connect
Dreams
Good, Good Morning
It was worse than I thought!
Learning to love strap-ons: A Friday night bedtime story
Marital Stress
My first blowjob was with a she-male whore
Polite
The Scent of Nostalgic Sex
This post is cold
Threesome on a golden afternoon
Whispers, after

Sex News, Reviews & Interviews
Best Erotic Comics 2008
Kinky Movie: Julie Simone’s Babes In Bondage (Madison Young, Shibari, Ballet Heels, Fetish)
A Match Made For A Super Orgasm! Just Add a Vac U Lock Adapter and a Hitachi Attachment
Review: “Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity” by Robert Jensen
Review: Sex Workers Art Show
Ron Jeremy Reviews: 2 Girls, 1 Cup

Thoughts on Sex and Relationships
Does Abstinence Make Orgasms More Intense?
Dominant Paradigms
The female “gaze”
Nose-picking, groping, domestic space, books, muscles, and so forth
Padme amidala: Submission and blowjobs
The Risks of Internet Sex

Sex Advice
Going Down Anyone? How To Give The Best Head
Help! Intercourse Feels As Exciting As a Handshake

NSFW Pics, Videos & Audio
Audio Story: All the time in the world
Braces Fetish Pics From Beauty And Braces
Catalina loves Pictures (and Nikki Nefarious)
Half-Nekkid on the Exercise Ball
I Feel Myself
In Her Bedroom
Kyla Cole
MC Nudes’ Big Breast Special!
Public Viewing Of Vintage Nude
Regina Ice (Twisty’s)

Sex Poetry
Intoxicated
Mmmm Mmmm Sexy!

BDSM & Fetish
Anniversary Bondage
Art Show Maintenance Spanking part 1
The Joy of Assymetry
Let me talk to you about Ms Danger
A Masochist Afraid of a Leg Wax?
Princess in Chains
SoRORIty
Take a walk on the wild side.
Try to be a good boy or you’ll be punished

Silent Porn Star Blog Buttons & Banners

Noticed the spiffy new blog header, did ya? Well, while I was at it, I made some banners/buttons for you all to use when linking to me. Not that you have to use them -- or even link to me. But some folks have asked...

Note: The second one appears smaller in the post; but, as usual, click it and you'll see a larger version.

High-Five Fridays #3

#1 Mommy Has A Headache -- and Minority Porn.

#2 Cinema Retro celebrates the films of the 60's and 70's. (No special pointy party hats required.)

#3 CR/LF has been absent at his blog, Sex Is A Red-Blooded Thing, but appears to be back -- click through and give him the inspiration to keep posting (comments wouldn't hurt either).

#4 Figleaf's Real Adult Sex is on the sidebar, but I'm just giving it another shout-out in case you've resisted... Don't make me get out the hose.

#5 Jason brings us news from Royal Daulton, which is where the image below is from. Now why didn't I think of that?


(I'd have called the figurine series "Poke-Ye-Women" as there'd be so many & you'd want to collect them all -- and get them little panties.)

Find out how to give your High-Five Fridays here!

The purpose of this meme is to give high-fives to 5 people, posts, blogs and/or websites you've admired during the week. I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 5 high-fives on Friday. Trackbacks, pings, linky widgets, comment links accepted!

Visiting fellow High-Fivers is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your High-Fives in others comments (please note if NWS).

Find more High-Five Friday folks here!