Feminist Carnival of Sexual Freedom and Autonomy: Calls For Submissions

I'm hosting the next Feminist Carnival of Sexual Freedom and Autonomy on January 5th 8th 2009. (Update: Extended due to holiday chaos!)

This sex positive carnival highlights posts/articles promoting the sexual rights and freedom of women -- you can get an idea by seeing past editions at Better Burn That Dress, Sister and Sex-Kitten.Net. However...

I just might be mixing things up a bit with my edition. I'd like to focus on the past -- for otherwise we are doomed to repeat it. So, in my official call for submissions, I'd like to outline a few specifics ideas or topics I'd really like to see.

Because this blog is about history, I'd like to see/read posts which are focused on the past. That includes, but is not limited to:

* Explorations of your personal sex/relationship history -- not fiction, but non-fiction musings about lessons, frustrations, etc. Bonus points if you can tie it to a film, show us art which reflects it, point to parallels in the life of a pinup, or otherwise connect it to some pop culture reference point.

* Biographies or discussions of famous folks; what they've taught you, forced you to think about, or rudely awakened you to.

* Art history, artistic movements, artists, specific works, etc. which explore themes you dig, wish would return "because", or otherwise have you pondering gender, sex and rights.

* Political, religious, criminal, cultural history lessons involving sexuality & human rights.

* Reviews & analysis of film, music, magazines, books, etc. from the point of view of where they fit in or the messages they send/reflect regarding sexuality & society.

* How & where pop culture and public policy intersect regarding sexuality, sex education, and private lives.

Again, the above are suggestions, hopes, dreams -- but don't feel like you are crushing them (or my spirits) if you write/submit something that's more traditional fare for the carnival.

You are free to write anything along these lines just for this carnival edition, send me a link to a piece/pieces you've already written on any of these or related and appropriate themes, and/or submit a post/article you've read by someone else that seems to fit & rocks your world or impresses you enough to make the effort to nominate someone.

Please email your submission to me at Naughty(dot)Words(at)gmail(dot)com prior to noon on January 4th, 2009.

"Paint Me"

I found this at eBay and know little about it -- but that only fascinates me more...

Unusual 50" X 27" poster for "Texoprint printing paper". Little circles of women with painted bodies are glued over the poster in spots.

I Think I Love You, Sadie, Sally, Whatever Your Name Was

Still fascinated by the Pink Pussycat, of which there is little on the tubes of Internets, I've become drawn to Sally Marr (aka Sally Marsalle and Boots Malloy), the former dean of the college of strip tease who was also Lenny Bruce's mother.

The only photo I could find of Marr was via TV Party, which had this clip of Marr from an early episode of Playboy After Dark (Playboy After Dark 2 is also available).

Virtually whenever anyone writes about Marr, and admittedly few do, they mention her 'bawdy' and 'outspoken' nature. The examples are that she's said to have 1) taken son Lenny to see burlesque shows when he was just 12 and 2) allowed him to read adult materials.

These two statements are repeated ad naseum, becoming one-liner legends I'm tempted to dismiss as being copied one from the other in a strange daisy-chain of cut-and-paste -- but I won't. For while those statements are repeated at a frequency worthy of dismissal (further penalized by the blandness that only an absence of documentation coupled with a lack of description can provide) they also represent something else.

First looking at the context of the statements, the on-one-hand 'credit' (these experiences creating the comedian's successful act) and on-the-other-hand mention (a nod to the bizarre foreshadowing the comedian's doomed life), points to the question of Marr's fitness for motherhood. Because moms cannot be sexual or sex positive without damaging herself and her children, her parenting is so unorthodox that no further explanation is deemed necessary.

For the record, I snort & chafe at such beliefs.

In Seriously Funny, by Gerald Nachman, there seems to be some discrepancy over Sally's literal mothering -- some claiming that she was rarely around for Lenny between the ages of 8 to 17. Surely at odds with the stories of how the 12 year old was watching the burlesque shows him mom emceed; make up your minds, people.

(And, speaking of such things again, it should also be noted that at burlesque shows in those days, no strippers went nude -- it was an art form of tease and humor. While I cannot say just what 'adult materials' Bruce had, let alone which momma Marr allowed him to have, we cannot ignore that while complete nudity and even penetration porn may have existed, Marr herself is to have said, "A woman's best weapon is a man's imagination." In that case, it's pretty clear that Marr knew that a g-string dollar was proffered for the teasing suggestion, not any actual delivery.)

Many go further and seem to seek to mar Marr's reputation by depicting her not only as morally questionable, but as opportunistic as well. They mention how she dared to enjoy being famous as Lenny Bruce's Mom; ignoring the fact that Lenny's big break, the gig at Ann's 440 where Hugh Hefner spotted him, wouldn't have happened had Sally not told the manager of Ann's 440 not to hire herself but her son. They mention how she sought Lenny's limelight, even milking it after he was dead; but side-step Marr's willing assistance & support (including financial) to other comedians. (She is credited for spotting the talents Cheech & Chong, Sam Kinison, and others.)

What's really telling about all of this is the irony. While they are busy depicting Sally Marr this way, the truth is seen: It is they who are only interested in Lenny Bruce, and Marr for her relationship with him.

Now there's some serious projection.

Little else of Marr's own life is mentioned. There's this bit in The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America, by Lawrence J. Epstein:

Born Sadie Kitchenberg, Marr had, at age twelve, been a contestant in a beauty contest judged by Rudolph Valentino. She was offered a job on the basis of her provacative performance, but her father refused to let her accept it. She began dancing, winning a variety of contests, giving dance lessons, and always looking to perform.

During World War II, with her son Lenny off in the navy and her husband long gone, Marr worked in bars an an emcee. Audiences responded well to her slightly off-color jokes, and eventually she moved on to larger comedy clubs. When her career waned, Marr transferred her show business ambitions to her son, becoming Lenny's coach and number-one fan, in the tradition of Sadie Berle and Minnie Marx.

Such intriguing brief hints at Marr's life before motherhood -- of her having a life before and outside of being the comedian's mother... I drool from my aroused organ (my brain; sheesh, you're smutty).

Even if she wasn't going to ever win any awards for World's Most Traditional Mother (and who the hell wants that honor?!), even if she was thrilled to bask in Lenny's fame, even if you don't like her -- I do.

I'm intrigued by this woman who impressed Valentino, who taught girls (of all ages & sorts) to dance (all sorts of dances), who understood seduction, who played with risque humor, who not only raised a son so funny & wise but got his humor too. It's her biography I want to read.

And if you've got any more info about Sally Marr, any objects & photos etc., no matter what name she's billed as, please share!

High-Five Fridays

This week's High-Five Fridays...

1) The Femmeinist Fuck Toy's guilty pleasures: 50s and 60s (sexist) movies.

2) Here's Looking Like You, Kid dishes on Sophia Loren's seduction in The Millionairess (1960).

3) Do you know who Jeri is? Pop Tarts wants to know.

4) Slip of a Girl is amused by this vintage lingerie ad.

5) Gracie shows us Wives Legal Rights, a Dell Purse Book, 1965.

Vintage Domestic Violence S&P Shakers Really Shake Me Up

The seller says these salt & pepper shakers are:

a little risque....a little naughty by 1940's standards anyways....they are along the line of "Jiggs and Maggie", if you remember that cartoon strip.

(Link added by SPS.)



Risque?!

Let's get real here. The woman brandishes a rolling pin -- from the lump on his head, she's connected at least once already. How does he retaliate? By removing her breast!




Honestly, just where did one display or use such S&P shakers? At the dinner table with the kids? When one entertained business associates? When the in-laws came over? Or maybe they were just used in the basement or rec-room bar, where drunk folks thought such risque things were supposed to be.

We're concerned (yet again) with a bare breast but not the violence -- even when the violence has severed a breast.

These are so bad that I must have them; like African Americans collect the horrible history that is Black Americana, I must have them.

I don't ask you for much, readers... So donate money to me so that I may buy them -- or let me know that you'll be buying them for me. (No need to bid against one another now!)

Winchell May Have Always Been Right... But Am I?

A rather crudely drawn postcard, featuring a woman behind a dressing screen in a doctor's office. She appears to be nude, except for her shoes; her stockings and bra draped over the screen. The male doctor appraises her.

"ARE YOU SURE DOCTOR?
WINCHELL'S ALWAYS
BEEN RIGHT BEFORE"

I gather the Winchell referenced is Walter Winchell, making this a humorous stab of gossip about the doctor's reputation, or the woman's, as well as Winchell's.

Then again, my guess that it's Walter Winchell is based, in part, upon the fact that the postcard's incomplete sentence relies heavily on the reader knowing about Winchell & the period's current events and persons -- something Winchell himself was known for.

Not knowing the context, the postcard becomes cryptic & convoluted. The humor is hinted at, but like a child hearing a double entendre, I just don't have enough knowledge to share the laugh.

I appreciate any information from readers.

Other postcard info: Signed ERICK (or E RICK). Divided back, unused; published/printed by Glacier Stationery Co., Great Falls, Mont. No year, circa 1940's - 1950's.

Sanity In Art Circa 1936 (Or, Let's Hate Modernism)

Inside the Parmount folder I found pages 5-8 of The Milwaukee Journal from Sunday, August 9, 1936. The pages appear to be from the "art" section, with lots of interesting bits on what was happening in arts at the time. None, perhaps, more interesting to me than this article, Mrs. Logan, Chicago Art Patron, Writes Book Against Modernism, which was published on page 6.



It's so grand, I have to type it all out -- giving you no reason not to read it:

Mrs. Frank G. Logan, Chicago, originator of the now nation-wide Sanity in Art movement, has announced that she will carry her fight against "modern, moronic grotesqueries" right into the American home.

Plan citizens of this country, accustomed to talking their art as the museums hand it to them, will become conscious of the fraud that is being perpetrated against them, says Mrs. Logan, and "sweep the rubbish from the galleries."

Mrs. Logan, whose state of nerves over art followed a predominantly modern exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago last winter, is the wife of an institute trustee and donor of the Logan prizes and many other art awards, as well as a generous contributor to the institute.

Calls It Junk

"Even a kitchen calendar can be an inspiration to the housewife if it shows a reproduction of one of the old masters," Mrs. Logan said as she sat in her drawing room facing a Rembrandt and surrounded by a collection including Corot, Rousseau, Van Dyck, Seyffert, Jacques and Hoppner.

"If everyone surrounded himself with copies of our beloved old masters--which we can get for 50 cents--the people would become imbued with a new appreciation of art and would not tolerate the miserable junk some of our museums are showing and calling modern art."

Turner, Ruebns, Innes, and El Greco were among those Mrs. Logan listed for reproduction on calendars and in inexpensive prints to help restore sanity in art judgment to housewives. In course of time the housewife is able to add to the cultural objects in her home in a manner which will create in her children the desire for the better things in life, according to Mrs. Logan.

A Forthcoming Book

While emphasizing that she is in no sense a dictator and wants only to lead people to their best judgment, Mrs. Logan said she was writing a book, also to be called "Sanity in Art," which she hopes will show everybody the folly of modernism.

"I'm deliberately making it an inexpensive book," she said, "so that everyone can have it. I shall use 30 cuts to contrast what is offensive and ridiculous in modern art with the work of real masters, old and new."

Mrs. Logan, who led a fight which resulted in officials in the Art Institute of Chicago bringing "song of the Lark" out of the dusty basement, at least for a time, protested that she is not advocating "mere prettiness which soon palls, but the beauty of form, whether it be of nature of human."

The crusade is carried over the radio and by mail by Mrs. Logan. Each day brings her a gratifying packet of fan mail. Particularly active branch chapters have been formed in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Greenwich, Conn., and Minneapolis, she said.

Mrs. Logan was Josephine Hancock Logan, the daughter of Col. John Lane Hancock (1812-1883), a colonel in the Civil War who later established the largest meatpacking house in Chicago who went on to serve as president of the Chicago Board of Trade, and the wife of Frank Granger Logan, founder of the brokerage house of Logan & Bryan. She is credited as having written books of verse, including Lights and Shadows and Heights and Depths, and "many lyrics including a Negro monolog entitled Longing." But it's the Sanity in Art movement for which Mrs. Logan is (if at all) remembered.

The Sanity in Art movement spread to more locations than noted in The Milwaukee Journal article. In this 1940 Time article article the leader of the Boston branch, Margaret Fitzhugh Browne -- called "the Society's old-maid president" -- is quoted as saying, "[The Picasso show] is an exhibition of crazy stuff. People who went to the show flocked to join the Society for Sanity in Art."

I think this says plenty about the group's philosophy and just who would join -- as well as Time's stance on modernism, despite loud out-burst from 'the public' against it.

However, if you think it was a Picasso which had Josephine Logan's panties in a bunch, it wasn't. Her bloomers became bunched when the Chicago Art Institute gave the Logan prize to Doris Lee's Thanksgiving in 1935; Mrs. Logan was so miffed that she formed an official society, complete with "Inc." and the book, as you've read, was part of the gospel.



In Time's review, they quote Logan from her book Sanity in Art:

Sanity in Art means soundness, rationalism, a correct integration of the art work itself in accordance with some internal logic. We know sanity is often difficult to define, and we also know insanity is often apparent at a glance. ... I have been called an iconoclast, and indeed I am one, in that I am trying to destroy false gods that have been forced upon us in the museums.

I find her statements that the false gods of modernism would be forced upon "us" very intriguing... Certainly her husband had some pull (or push) at the Chicago museum, yet she felt that the art was foisted upon museums. An odd statement as museums are seen (and usually have been seen) as the arbitrators of taste and 'what is art'; gate-keepers who dictate or bestow than those foisted-up or dictated to. Perhaps Mrs. Logan chafed at the younger folks who made more decisions regarding these matters (employees and younger trustees vs. old men like her husband). Or perhaps Mrs. Frank G. Logan chafed at being a woman with no say -- other than to push Mr. Logan, who was, by all accounts at this time anyway, a rather retiring gentleman. But in any case, Josephine, who has more influence than most, feels that 'someone' is duping 'us'. It's curious and makes me wish for her journals & diaries... Perhaps the old grand dame had taken young artists under her wing too *wink*

Back to what we do know.

The Society for Sanity in Art was, to quote Ask Art, "opposed to all forms of modernism, including abstract expressionism, surrealism, and many other changes going on in the world at that time."

I think it's important to note that indeed, the times, they were a-changin' and Mrs. Logan, then approximately 73, wasn't the only one resisting. As noted in the introduction to Women Building Chicago 1790-1990: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Rima Lunin Schultz and Adele Hast (2001), published at the Chicago History Fair site, there were lots of responses to the changing times. Here's a bit from the book's introduction on the Chicago art scene at the time :

In the art world, conservatives split from the Chicago Society of Artists and formed a new organization, the Association of Chicago Painters and Sculptors, leaving the modernist core to run the Chicago Society of Artists. Josephine Logan's Sanity in Art organization, founded in 1936, attacked the aesthetics of modernism; Eleanor Jewett, art critic for the Chicago Tribune, shared Logan's point of view and labeled the works of Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent van Gogh brutal, primitive, and childish.

An example of Josephine Logan's power (and her own primitive & childish charm) is told in the following story of when the Chicago Art Institute opened its 47th annual show in 1936:

Last week's Chicago Art Institute show carefully avoided any of the extreme schools of U. S. painting, was described by Chicago's ablest critic, Clarence Joseph Bulliet (Chicago Daily News), as "a sedate show of practically unrelieved conservatism." The jury for painting-Edmund Archer, John Steuart Curry, Jerry Farnsworth, Meyric Rogers, Thomas Tallmadge-salved its artistic conscience by giving Mrs. Logan's prize to an unexceptionable if uninspired studio nude entitled Olympia, by capable, hard-working Robert Philipp of Manhattan.

Late in the afternoon day before the show opened, Mrs. Logan, accompanied by Chicago Tribune Critic Eleanor Jewett, arrived at the museum. Director Robert B. Harshe rushed forward hastily, conducted his patron to the prizewinning Olympia.

"Do you approve, Mrs. Logan? Do you approve?'' he cried anxiously.

"Yes," said Mrs. Logan, "I approve. It is very sweet."

Sweeping through the rest of the gallery, Mrs. Logan looked with marked disfavor on another prizewinner, Earthquake by Jon Corbino, showing a sleeping family on the second floor of a collapsing barn above a group of frightened horses.

"And why, Mr. Harshe," asked she, "should a thing like that be given a prize?" Hanging next to the prizewinning earthquake was a picture by Jim Lee of two amiable Japanese moppets reading a book. As a rebuke. Mrs. Logan bought it.

I cannot find images of Earthquake, nor of the Jim Lee work Logan purchased; but did find the "uninspired studio nude" Olympia by Robert Philipp.



I don't think needs only to rely on Time's characterization that Logan was being a cheeky-little-monkey, purchasing Lee's work to rebuke the award-winning Corbino; I can think of numerous occasions when I've seen such thing.

While Sanity in Art has been called "an aesthetic 'Moral Majority'" * Logan and her ilk were not necessarily prudish when it came to nudity. Being lovers of the classics, they recognized "beauty of form, whether it be of nature of human" such as with Olympia. And even devout movement members who were artists, such as early Sanity in Art member Claudia M. Barkdull McKenzie, created nudes. This is the California painter's Floral Still life with Nude.




"Plump, round-faced Josephine Hancock Logan" not only founded the Society for Sanity in Art, Inc., but gave out its own Sanity in Art Awards. And in 1939 the society had its own first national exhibition at Chicago's Stevens Hotel. Of it, Time said:

Mrs. Logan turned up early, dressed in pink lace, pink gloves, diamond and emerald bracelets, a hat of feathers and flowers. While an eight-piece orchestra played her favorite tunes and she—befeathered, beflowered and bemused—sat humming them, a crowd, many of them oldsters, peered at 255 sane exhibits, murmured brightly: "Isn't it wonderful to see real painting again?" First of the eleven prizes went to Chauncey Ryder, 71, for a harmless landscape; other prizes to sound, conservative Frank W. Benson, 77, mountain-whittling Gutzon Borglum, 68. Herself a little dim about who had won the prizes, Donor Logan purred comfortably: "But they're all my old friends."

Time paints her as some ditzy matron of the arts, forcing me to wonder more about this woman who was so outraged at modernism that she had to start such a public campaign in her 70's. Just a photo would be nice at this point. *sigh*

I could not find any images of the Sanity in Art award, but here's a description from an auction catalog:

SOCIETY FOR SANITY IN ART AWARD MEDAL, 1937. 75.8mm. Bronze. Signed, "Mortens." (MACO) Lightly tarnished Unc. Obverse: SOCIETY FOR SANITY IN ART JOSEPHINE HANCOCK LOGAN FOUNDER around a high relief central bust of Mrs. Logan, looking very much like a wealthy dowager. The reverse features a deco style nude young woman seated above an inscription: SOCIETY FOR SANITY IN ART/ MEDAL/ AWARDED TO/ The medal is not awarded.

It would be easy to imply that Logan and others in the Sanity in Art movement were, well, 'nutty'. But you have to remember the context of time.

Logan and others in this movement had not only survived the great depression (and the Logans did so clearly with wealth & power intact), but they were the product of Victorian values -- and now they faced a changing world which demanded that they acquiesce & fade away.

The changes in art, museums replacing Rembrandts with Picassos, was not just a visual 'out with the old, in with the new' statement, a sign that power was shifting; it was much more than that.

Art was the way one expressed the grace of privilege, both by owning it and by being a patron. On a personal level, one worked hard to be able to afford real art. Such wealth and power had its public responsibility, namely to guard culture & extol values and art was one of the ways to do so. To stand by and watch masters -- or at least the space for their works -- be eviscerated by modernism was to watch one's lifetime (seemingly) become irrelevant and to have concern for the future. What would the values and art of those times be?

While it's easy to see that modernism did more than just survive, and the researcher in me says to let the documentation of the artists Mrs. Logan speak to their own longevity & popularity (especially when compared to the longevity & popularity of those she eschewed), I feel it only fair to state that Mrs. Logan's concerns, the ideals of the Sanity in Art movement, show up continually in any matter of social change -- including reactions to art which reflects such things.

Josephine Hancock Logan passed away in November of 1943 at the age of 81. Her obit notes that she had "dedicated a society for "Sanity in Art" to the proposition that "The 'Cuckoo of Publicity' has laid the egg of a new 'dodo bird' in the hard nest of art," thereafter purred contentedly at her own safe & sane exhibits," and tacks-on a brief mention that she was also co-founder of the American College of Surgeons.

Not long after her passing, the Art Institute of Chicago began used the Logan name to reward just the sort of modern works that Josephine loathed.

It is not clear just what the 'Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Logan Purchase Prize' indicates -- awards, funds, both? -- for the "Purchase Prize" is relegated to a single line associated with specific objects in the collection.

Worse yet, the Logans are ignored on the museum's website entirely.

Since Frank Granger Logan served for more than 50 years on the institution's board, started the Chicago Art Institute's awards, and became honorary president, it seems only decent to acknowledge him. And while Josephine Hancock Logan's legacy may seem more murky in its qualities, it's clear that she was a passionate supporter of the arts. Her reaction to modernism is a part of art history & should be well documented.

The absence is a modern, moronic grotesquery.


It should be clear by now, that if you have any knowledge to add to the story of Josephine Hancock Logan I'd love to hear it. I'm also interested in any papers, books, objects of hers (I can't pay much, but I'll take good care of them!)

Additional stray thoughts...

I could find no references to any radio shows by Mrs. Logan &/or Sanity in Art; but I'll keep looking.

The 'masters on calendars and other inexpensive prints' idea would have been deemed kitsch by Gillo Dorfles. I'm not sure this qualifies as irony, but it bears noting.

* In her book, My Love Affair with Modern Art, Katharine Kuh wrote this of the Sanity in Art movement:

Sanity in Art was like an aesthetic "Moral Majority." It was a rabid movement of art vigilantes with its objective to have the most reactionary art, and only American art at that, shown, bought, or collected in Chicago and the rest of the Midwest. In turn, the group was intent on eliminating the practice of modernism -- any deviation from its rigid provincial code attracted explosive verbal onslaughts. In my case, the attacks were physically threatening as well, as when someone smashed the glass window of the gallery to register disapproval of an exhibition of Joan Miro.

Kuh says the organization was "unique to Chicago", which is not true; but it's her experience as gallery owner which counts here. Of course, Kuh herself is controversial too; but that's for another time.

Most Of Us Remember Veronica Lake For Her Hair

When you mention the name Veronica Lake, everyone remembers the hair. (There was one movie, which for the life of me I cannot remember the name of, in which a male character refers to a group of girls -- each sitting there with the trademark Veronica Lake peekaboo hair wave -- as being in their Veronica Lake phase. If you remember the scene, please tell me; it's killing me not to remember!)

But, as evidenced by this vintage photo, Veronica was also sold on another physical attribute: her dirty smirk.

DIRTY LOOK--DIRTY FACE
HOLLYWOOD--Constance Keane--Vernoica Lake to-you-- can give the dirtiest of dirty-looks and have the dirtiest of dirty faces and still be charming. She proves this in her second stellar role of her meteor-like film career in :Sullivan's Travels," Paramount Picture to be released in February. Here she turns on that dirty look for Sullivan, played by Joel McCrea, when she finds out that the "bum" she has befriended with her last 35 cents is really a movie director rolling in the lap of luxury.

The seller adds the following info about the photograph: "Vintage 1942, 6" x 8" Publicity Portrait of Veronica Lake as featured in SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS – (although this portrait was first used to promote THIS GUN FOR HIRE in 1941)."

PS Remember when Veronica Lake's ashes were purportedly found?

Questioning Tommy Bartlett's Sexuality

Reading about Tommy Bartlett's radio fame in Time has me thinking...

Specifically this part of the Monday, July 1, 1940, article:

Unorthodox in the extreme is Bartlett's method of gathering material for his programs. Every day promptly at 2:05 he whirls into the Chicago Home Arts Guild, an institution supported by national advertisers, to lunch and show 100-odd women the sponsors' 100-odd products. Tommie shouts "Hello, girls!" at the assembled matrons. Ten minutes later, after the girls are all in spasms at Tommie, who thinks nothing of rolling on the floor to get them giggling, WBBM technicians begin to record Meet the Missus. Twittering like sparrows, yanking nervously at their girdles, some of Tommie 's girls answer questions about their clothes, husbands, honeymoons, aspirations, frustrations, children, while the rest of them hoot and howl.

Apparently, Bartlett was quite the man; earning 20 wedding proposals and the moniker "housewife’s pinup boy".

Not a bad looking man. And I can only assume that even as his hair whitened and his middle thickened, his wallet's growth from all the Wisconsin Dell's attractions only served to make him more attractive. If girls and matrons once "yanked nervously at their girdles" (and isn't that a delicious bit of vintage imagery!), I bet that once the girdle was banished, the smoothing of hair & skirts, the licking & biting of lips, and other signs of lusty interest continued.

But Bartlett never married.

This would not interest me so if there weren't such a blank in the press about the man's private life. A legendary figure in the Midwest (and beyond), you'd think his exploits would be documented. Even here on the Internet, home of all things imbecilic & impolite, there is no tribute to the man, no home for all things private (let alone pervy) regarding Tommy Bartlett.

How could such a public man lead such a private life?

If he was a playboy bachelor, where are the celeb stalkings? There's no dirt on his wild youth, no dish on his radio hey-days, no smutty speculation on his incredibly wealthy years as a kitsch mogul. Where was the scandal of his will after his death? No rug-rats crawling out of the woodwork for a piece of that pie? And there's virtually no photographic evidence of his life.

Too damn quiet, if you ask me.

So I wonder, was this man gay?

Now I know you're going to accuse me of perpetuating stereotypes. Suggesting the maker of stacked water skier spectacles is anything but hetero certainly seems "typical" of a hetero. But honestly, where's the trail of his romantic life? Only a gay man living the life of such a large local legend would keep so secretive.

If you have any knowledge, news clippings, photos, anecdotal evidence, please spill it.

I'm just dying to know.

This pondering post was the result of reading In Which I Try To Meet The Missus And End Up With Tommy Bartlett, which I may, at a later date, revisit here at SPS in regards to Meet The Missus.

Momma Never Told Me There'd Be Nudes Like This

My momma recently gifted me this nude art piece -- she and 'everyone' knows that I collect such things.


Scrutiny of the signature was a bit difficult; but after trying Jean Vybow (a mistake others make) & Jean Vyboud, the latter was shown to be the artist of this nude figure print.

Prices seem very "robust" (from $200 to $315), but the details are sketchy on this etching... and the artist.

Little is published on the web about the artist. Other than knowing his full name, Jean Auguste Vyboud, and lifespan dates (1872-1944), it's a blank left to books not available in Google's book search preview and/or in other languages, leaving me rather clueless. (Hint Hint all of you knowledgeable in art...)

From what I can ascertain, Vyboud was an engraver & a printer of fine art prints. Seems more than odd then, that my piece (and others that I have seen) wouldn't credit the original artist...

Dates are speculative; this seller (very bottom of the page) says it's from the 1960's, and this seller claims the engraving is from the early 1900's. Prints can have multiple runs, but usually only if the artwork or artist is very popular. Even more so for quality prints.

Interestingly, my print is not only signed in pencil, but part of a numbered run (16/100, also in pencil). I wonder if this makes it older or newer, more valuable or less valuable...

Everyone, everything has its price; so I could be tempted to sell it.

In any case, mom's not getting it back. *wink*

(But I might give her a share of the wealth, if it came to that.)

Antique Topless Illustrated Postcard

Marked ...A Sockl, Wien, 1. and Collection,, Vlan...Nr.713. I have no idea what that means, but it looks like a game of some sort... Any ideas? I know naughty cards give you "ideas"; but I mean do you have any helpful information? *wink*

Postcard measures 5 1/2" x 3 1/2". Via Ruby Lane.

Paging Inspector Clouseau For Greenbaum Case

This "guy" recently discovered that Great Uncle Mutz was The Mutz Greenbaum (aka Max Greene & Max Green) -- and then starts digging through the old photos. Below, Mutz on right, with who is thought to be Peter Sellers.



I don't know whether to smack this "guy" with a rolled-up newspaper for not knowing, or to hug him/her for posting his goodies online. (Then again, maybe they like the smacking thing, in which case we can all win.) Now they need help with identifying the people, films, &/or locations etc. in the photographs.



In his research he discovered that Mutz's father (so "the guy's" Great Grandfather) was Jules Greenbaum. Jules Greenbaum was not only the founder of Greenbaum films, but he produced and patented a number of motion picture equipment, including the Bioscope, the Vitascope, and the Synchroscope, one of the better early synchronized picture/sound systems.


Anyway, if you have any information on the photos, please post/share it.

That's "Folsom", Not "Wholesome"

Omega it's jameth posted this photo, saying:

The Miracle Mile. These are places that no longer exist, but look/sound like they were a blast back in the 70s/80s:

- The Slot, 575 Folsom
- The Stables, 1123 Folsom
- Red Star Saloon, 1145 Folsom (15 cent drafts and 15 cent hot dogs! OMG. I would have been there all the time!!)
- The Hungry Hole Saloon, 1190 Folsom
- Fobos, 11th and Folsom
- The Cave, 280 7th
- SF Plunge, 11th and Folsom
- Folsom Prison
- Trench
- The Bolt

Geriatric Gays, please confirm/deny. School my generation about times of the past. Thank you for your fealty.

If you've got info, post it!

What Do You See Here?

I asked for your help with this before, but apparently you don't like to read long posts. :sigh: (What is the world coming to when folks only want to see the dirty pictures?)

Anyway, you have to respond and tell me if I'm imagining things or not... What do you see here?

What The Donges??

I picked up this scrap of paper at a sale recently -- and have become obsessed with it. Dating from no later than the 1920's, it's a promotional piece for an old genteel establishment selling hats & gloves to gentlemen (but as you shall see, there's much more to it!)

Jac. F. Donges
Founder of DONGES BAY
Who has GLOVES to Burn
And some that don't Burn
HATS and CAPS

319 Third Street
MILWAUKEE, WIS.

Now, this is interesting for several reasons... The Jac F. Donges Hat & Glove shop was a Milwaukee institution, only just closed in 2001 (replaced by :gasp: a Subway restaurant). And Donges Bay is a place I have been (hello, Sybaris in Mequon!). But little information exists on the company or the man who founded it &, apparently, Donges Bay.

Heavy research provides us with the fact that Jac and his brother, Charles, founded the area.



Charles, also a partner in the hat business (then called Donges Brothers), died June 28, 1894, and while he managed to be listed in the 1902 Notable men of Wisconsin, he's all but ignored in history and Jac gets all the credit.



Perhaps this is fair, for Jac was quite the character.

In 1842, his parents, Mr. Jacob Donges and his wife, emigrated to Milwaukee from Germany. In 1860 they had a son, Jacob Jr. Jacob Jr. or Jac, as he preferred to be called. Jac inherited the position of janitor at Milwaukee's City Hall from his father and then worked in the garment business for some friends, which led to opening his own shop.

As an entrepreneurial businessman, his financial success led to investments in real estate along the north shore of lake Michigan, specifically purchasing the Basler and Kemp farms along what is now known as Donges Bay. These were lands he'd seen in 1884 calling the beautiful deep ravine with a creek at its bottom empties into the lake "Fairy chasm", and vowed to own. This land, along with land co-owned by friends (such as Fred Usinger, founder of Usinger Sausage Co.), became part of the holdings of the Fish Creek Park Company, established September 13, 1892. The company issued 146 shares of stock, one each for the 146 acres, at $285 per share and offered to mainly friends of Jac's, creating a private summer resort community.

During the first ten years of Fish Creek Park, the stockholders were permitted to use the land in any way they chose, from informal Sunday picnics to the construction of summer homes.

Enter the other side of the old promotional paper.

WITHIN THE LINES
IN THE GOOD OLD U.S.A.
AT
DONGES BAY

ALL'S WELL
AT SCHUCH'S RESORT

I found no information on Schuch's Resort; however, there was a friend of Jac's, John Schuch, who built Chalet on the Lake resort and restaurant in the area, which is now called Mequon. (According to the Fish Creek Park Company records, things got dicey after the first decade, and the community of Fairy Chasm evolved into two sections, North Fairy Chasm becoming Mequon in 1957 and South Fairy Chasm becoming Bayside in 1955. Absolutely fascinating stuff, but I digress.)

Here's a vintage postcard of the dining room, and a platter from the restaurant:




Little else could be discovered about the Chalet, other than Mark Harmon's Dillinger was filmed there (with the location used to represent Little Bohemia) and that it was owned by Jerome Perlson from 1966 until 1990 when he retired and the restaurant was sold, replaced by the development of private homes.

Could this chalet been the Schuch's Resort of the old little flyer? Maybe...

But what makes this all interesting enough to be here at Silent Porn Star is what happens when you fold the piece of paper...


The classic finish to "All's well"... "That ends well." Complete with nude bottoms up in the air as mom, dad, and junior do handstands under the water.

Cute and risque, especially for a gentleman's hat & gloves shop, but I discovered even more.

Holding and worrying over this bit of old paper, trying to find more information on Donges. I read the few lines so many times, hoping for another clue...

That line, "within the lines" stuck out for me. It didn't seem to make much sense. A colloquialism? Mmmmaybe. But being aware of riddles and puns, I then noticed the strange lines about the boy in the water... Was there something within, between them?

My husband says I'm just seeing things, but if you block the image at the one line, and turn it upside down, I see some even more risque antics beneath the water...


Is it just me? Tell me what you see...

And please do tell me if you know more about Jac Donges et al. (I'm itching to get back to the area soon to see what I can research... And stay at the Sybaris, of course. *wink*)

PS Yes, I'm putting this under "Beefcake" because Donges was so wealthy, no doubt he was heavily pursued and likely quite a playboy or other which such privilege allows. At least until I'm proven otherwise.

Someone Must Remember Gwen

Slip of a Girl sent in these scans of pages presumed to be from a men's magazine and asks if anyone here knows where they came from. This is the problem with scans posted without information &/or "taken & sent along" without information... No one knows how to find the actual publication etc. It's frustrating for collectors. And why I have the "Help" tag/label -- so please, use it.




The only text reads:

Gwen knows that she's guilty of many sins. Her young soul is already burdened with the karma of the hundreds of anonymous male hearts she's callously broken -- simply by walking down the street.

She's also guilty of impure thoughts, forbidden fantasies that would make her dear pastor flush with shame -- and of touching herself in a lewd, indecent manner. Her ripe, hormone-crazed body invites the most wickedly sensual urges to well up within this curvy girl's mind, and many times Gwen has found herself pitiably unable to resist.

Those nights, this pale, pneumatic creature squeezes her big thighs together in a vain attempt to quell the cravings that are too strong to deny. Her sheer white panties

I'm pretty sure Slip sent this in because she's dying to know more about Gwen's panties; but who does like a story interrupted like that?


Anyone with info on the model, publication etc., and additional scans from this pictorial &/or story, please share your dirty information.

Clever Cleo

I'd love to know more about this pin... All the seller says is that it's a "Vintage Risque Clever Cleo Advertising Pinback Button." Not even any measurements. :sigh:

If anyone knows more, please do tell.



(Cleo may have been clever, but a seller sans information is not.)

Why We Collect

Answering questions to help a student with a psychology course assignment on collecting and hoarding, Deanna writes:

If I stopped hunting for things and their stories, I’d be bored, and a lot less interesting. And I’d only read more to get that thirst sated. Who’s to say reading as escape, or researching in books, is any more important than questing for objects? Either way, your brain, soul, and shelves are full.

And I don’t mean, in any way, to imply that one collection is better than another — that comic books are less than non-fiction tomes, or that new action figures are less important than documents. Because the way I’m beginning to see things is that the act of collecting is about questing… It’s about finding more than objects, but answers.

Perhaps what we’re all doing, ultimately, is seeking the answer to “Why do I collect this?” And that answer is individual, unique. My answer will be different than your answer — even if we covet & collect the same “junk”. The joy is in finding that answer. Which is why collectors often change collections — they’ve answered one question and are off on a new question, a new quest. And this simply refutes the idea of a mental illness; for what can be more healthy than self-knowledge?

You can participate in the Q & A too.

"I wanted to see a prostitute drawn by my grandmother"

So says Project Prostitute, which then presents all the drawn images. Some of the artistic representations are of the usual variety, fishnets and smoking for example; but others are so absurd they are cute, such as the green 'lot lizard' with handcuffs.



I think what I love about this collection the most is the wide range of ideas shown; certainly the artworks expose as much about the creators as they do values and ideas regarding prostitution.




You'll also find more images from Project Prostitute at Flickr. (I discovered this by clicking 'see larger, and I find that more enjoyable than the flash galleries at Project Prostitute; there is more than one Flickr user involved, as I also found this gallery set too. So poke about and see what you find.)



And I can't help but compare these depictions of sex workers to some of the conclusions jumped to about sex collectors...



Come to think of it, that would be a really excellent project.

If you'd like to send in images of collectors of adult collectibles, sex history, risque items etc., either based on what you've had people say to you, or even what you think about me, then please do so. I'll gladly post them.

Via Fleshbot.

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 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.

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)

Rings Around Of Rosies...

Asses, asses, will they all fall down?


Bacchus has found this vintage image he's calling "Ring Of Sodomy" -- and if you know anything about it, please do share!

One lead has suggested the image may be from the Barbican, but they opt for few images on their site... As with this Between the Futons: Japanese Erotica of the Early Modern Period exhibit.

Ruby Wax Info Sought

Gracie at Sex Kitten is trying to help a UK film researcher find "a documentary Ruby Wax did with porn stars a few years ago". If you have any leads, own a copy, or can help with any info, please post.

Info on Ruby Wax & her show, Ruby, on Lifetime.

Joanne Arnold, Extra Nipples & A Request

Playboy's Playmate for May, 1954 was Joanne Arnold. Her pictorial is deemed noteworthy (by me, anyway) as Arnold had a superfluous third nipple on her left breast which can be seen in several of the photos.



I do not mock Arnold and the photographs are exquisite. I am just impressed that Playboy opted to use the photos and not equate supernumerary with imperfection.

Of course, it could also have had something to do with the fact that prior to the June 1955 issue, Playboy purchased photos rather than took their own (at least for centerfolds).

I believe the centerfold photo of Arnold for the May 1954 issue was taken by John Baumgarth Company (the calendar company who had taken Monroe's famous nude), but I'm not certain who took the gorgeous pictorial. As I don't own any Playboy magazines with Joanne Arnold, I'm not even certain which, or if any, issues these photos are from. Any info is appreciated as I'm completely smitten with the underwater shots!

Not that I could afford the actual photos; eleven black and white photographs of Joanne Arnold, circa 1955, some by Lee Friedlander, sold for $3231.25 at auction in 2002. But I'd like the info anyway. (Makes one re-think the high prices of vintage Playboys, doesn't it? *wink*)

Anyway, for more on supernumerary nipples -- in the 'magic number' of three -- see The Superfluous Nipple. Otherwise, just enjoy more photos.






Related:

Joanne Arnold was also on the covers of the March 1954 and August 1955 issues of Playboy, and appeared in many other men's mags (here too).

Sometimes credited as Joann Arnold, which is better than all the uncredited films.

Though it seems IMDB missed 1954's Girl Gang -- a hoot of a review of the flick can be found at 50-Foot Reviews (top, right side).

Where There's A Will...

Will Straw, PhD, Department of Art History and Communications Studies professor spotted my Hollywood Follies post and sent me an email requesting some information.

While I dig around in my collection (I have a system, but it's not very friendly to research requests like this), Will has allowed me to share his email so that any here with info can help.

Hi -- I was googling "Wayne Sabbath" and, after five pages of references to religious books, found your site, with the scans from Hollywood Follies. Thanks for those. I've been trying to reconstruct the career of Wayne and of his partner (who may, in fact, be him) "Cap'n Joey"/Jo Burten, who published spicy magazines from the 1920s onwards. Burten's Follies was the best known of these, and "Follies" turns up in many of his titles. The last record of any of them I can find is a reference to Joe getting busted c. 1959 for obscenity. Do you know any more about these guys?

In any case, thanks for the interesting read,
Will

If you have any info please post it here and/or contact Will via contact info on his webpage.

At the risk of distracting you...

Readers may be delighted to know that Will is the author of Cyanide and Sin: Visualizing Crime in 50s America, a history of true crime magazines in America with an emphasis on its visual content, including 196 color illustrations. The book is also available at Photo-Eye and the Andrew Roth Gallery; a review, with a slide show, can be found at Men's Vogue, and you can download the book's introduction (PDF) here.


Will also writes the Canadian culture blog at McGill.

** Don't forget! If you have any information on Wayne Sabbath, "Cap'n Joey" Jo Burten. or the follies publications, please let us know!

Cora! Cora! Cora!

I've loved this photo for a long time -- the image of the waspie waist woman as she tries to inhale off the fancy cigarette was etched into my mind the first time I saw it years ago. However, being posted in a forum, no one knew who it was a photo of; it was just an image which circulated in the kink & vintage erotica communities I've visited through the years. Each time I inquired for info, but even the image name was just a bunch of numbers.

Eventually someone knew this was a photo of Cora; I now had something to work with.

I wasn't the only one searching... Andrea Johnson, before I, was searching for the woman too. She had spotted this photo in a copy of a 1972 Domination Annual and became smitten:


The story of Andrea's search for info about Cora (who she has dubbed Cora Korsett) is a great collector's story. So go read it -- there are lots more photos of Cora there too.

And if you have any info on Cora, please do share it!

Anal Fisting, By Michelangelo?

Bacchus brings us closer to the answer...



If you know anything, or have something to add to the conversation, please post comments for Bacchus (and lil ol me too).

Wet & Wild Maria Shriver

I'm posting this here as part of a discussion regarding Maria's status as a sex symbol.

After bashing, bolstering & befriending Maria Shriver in this discussion, we are now trying to establish just what does make a sex symbol... I invite command you all to jump in with your thoughts.

Antwerp Erotica Help Needed

Rob of Delta of Venus sends this email with a request:

Hope all's well with you...
I'm currently in Belgium (Antwerp) and was wondering if by any chance you (or perhaps some of your readers) have suggestions for places one might find antique erotica in the Low Countries. I'll be in Holland too, both Amsterdam and some of the smaller towns - itinerary is flexible. Antique shops, flea markets, bookshops, etc, lowbrow, highbrow, and all in between. Primarily looking for pre-1950s photography and magazines, but early films and other artifacts are great too... I've found a small
amount of stuff but nothing too noteworthy so far, so any leads you might have would be much appreciated...

Cheers,
Rob

Got ideas for Rob? Post them here, or use the contact listed at his website.

Homo-Erotic Quest

"My" Fabulon Thom (which is really strange in print, ey?) has a request... Here's our conversation:

Thom: For over a decade I have been on a relatively unfruitful quest for gay erotica from the Edwardian and even Victorian eras. I know it exists, having seen some long ago, and it truly intrigues me (for reasons not soley pornographic, but also sociological). A major interest for me is gay history, how things were at different times and how they helped create the present.

Me: Your interests are similar to mine -- it's not all about the 'porn arousal' (I won't lie and say nude bods hold no interest for me, but it's more than that -- like a sexy partner, there ought to be something to last past the roll in the hay lol)

The Internet offers much, but at the same time, so many dealers list in ways which do not make it findable (don't label images, don't use tags or text descriptions which make it findable in google etc). I mostly stumble into things rather than rely on searches (which can be most frustrating). And heck, how many times do you even know the name of the photographer etc until after you see the item, learn of its existence, to know that information? ;)

Thom: I remember once seeing a very old photo done in some sort of studio set-up, with what appeared to be adult men, a dozen or so, engaged in various acts with younger guys, apparently teens. The men all had handlebar mustaches and garters to keep their socks up. What clothing there was seemed to be some sort of sports uniform. It was quite a turn-on, but mostly it made me curious. What exactly was going on here? How did this happen? Why was this photographed, and how? What's the story? Especially in that day and age, before things were labelled "gay" and "straight". It really sort of blew my mind!

SO---I was wondering if, on your Internet journeys, you have chanced upon any sites along those lines. Usually when I look for photos of the vintage variety, what turns up is old midcentury physique pictorials, which are fine and quite fun but not what I'm really seeking.

And so, here we are ;)

All I can think of is Wilhelm von Gloeden... For photos that is.

There's also Aubrey Beardsley. DelftBoys.com had a general overview of homo-erotic art.

Of course I offered to post a 'help' call, so all you folks can post your leads, sources, and info.

So now, it's your turn... Post &/or contact Thom via email (located in his blogger profile).

Q & A For (More Than) One (I Hope!)

Questions from Gracie (The Marketing Whore).

What's one question you've been expecting to be asked at your blog which has never been asked?

Do I display my collectibles prominently (visible to folks) in my home?

Why?

Because with the state of affairs in this country, it's not pc to like nudes or porn; or at least not so much as to display these things like ceramic cats or Elvis plates. Especially if you have children, which I do.

Answer it.

Most of my visual collection, such as the art pieces and statues etc., are in the 'boudoir.' But the books are out-and-about. There are so many books, including old encyclopedias, history and anthropology books, and even modern fiction, that the kids just walk past them all.

I'm less concerned with my own children seeing nude people (they take their showers naked and have to know they'll be adults one day, and I'm open with them about their bodies, sex and love) than I am with their friends coming over and asking questions that perhaps I ought not (at least in their parents opinions) be answering -- or worse yet, their parents calling or whatever.

What's one question you've wanted to ask your readers, but never have?

What do you collect? Or what are you most interested in reading about here at SPS?

Why not?

Because it sounds like I am pandering, or lazy and desperate for ideas or something. (But aside from wishing to be interesting, I am a nosy girl!)

So, do tell me!

Update On The Adult Collector Community

I've got an update on the proposed adult collectors website/community.

Based on your comments (posted and emailed), I asked the folks at behind it to provide more information; here are the answers.

The website for collectors of adult items will be very similar to the mainstream collectors site (Collector's Quest, aka CQ), except that:

* The adult collectibles site will charge a membership fee while the mainstream site will be free. "CQ is free because we can support ourself through mainstream advertisers and sale of collectibles. This would not be the case in the adult arena."

* The adult site would have original blog content, like the mainstream one, but not video "as this presents a HUGE screening problem for us."

* In order for collectors to be assured that the other members are in fact over 18, and therefore trading and selling without that risk, members will be pre-screened via a credit card authorization process.

Regarding traffic and/or ranking of Collectors' Quest. Deb and others were concerned that the site, though over a year old and dedicated to the huge area of collecting, had little traffic or at least a poor Alexa ranking. I asked them to respond.

CQ: Alexa is an unfair comparison for two reasons. Most of the traffic on Alexa comes from Asia and while we are global, most of our traffic is US based. Secondly and more importantly, Alexa only tracks those users who use the Alexa toolbar. Most of our traffic comes from Google searches and therefore we would not be accurately represented.

(Note this posting for more info on Alexa's accuracy.)

CQ: CQ currently has 40,000 visitors monthly. This is all without marketing. Once we open the community piece, we are starting formal marketing and expect this to grow exponentially.

As mentioned, Collector's Quest is planning on launching their community soon. It is in Beta testing and :knock wood: it will be released in a week or so. This will be done before the adult sister site would begin for several reasons, including working out bugs and pricing, as well as putting the age screening mechanisms in place. (This credit card authorization process is more complex for programmers.) They are hoping to have it up in July, if not before.

Regarding pricing...

CQ: We are looking to keep the fees low. There has been talk of $10/month with discounts for those who sign for 3, 6 and year terms. What is important to remember is that we do not charge people for listings like ebay does and you can keep an item displayed for as long as you want. We also do not take a commission on a sale from our site. You can also put up as many items as you like.(although if you are a dealer - there will be a different fee structure for above a certain amount of photos) These things alone would be less money than what it would cost you to use eBay for the same services.

So that those interested can try the site and see if it's worth the fees, there will be a trial period.

CQ: We will be offering a 30 day free trial period and those who sign up early will receive an extra discount. We want to encourage people to test it and tailor it for the community.

Again, I ask that you all post your thoughts in the comments section &/or email me privately if that's more comfortable for you. The more information we provide to CQ, the better the community & website will fit our needs. (Again, I promise not to share any of your personal information, only the sentiments/questions/concerns.) Thanks!

Vintage Nude Plaster Figure

From my own collection, a vintage plaster (or chalkware) piece. A nude 'exotic' lady dances in the fire at her feet. She's large, standing 17 inches tall.


I love that her arms and hands are raised above her head and in hair, which sort of mirrors the flames.

Her 'skirt' is made of string fringe -- in the photo I twisted it, normally she's modest. *wink*

She was once broken and repaired, near her knees, but other than that she's in lovely shape.

She has no markings for maker, year etc. So I know nothing about her... If you do, please tell. I'd love to find out there is a series of these nude figurines.

Live A Plush Sex Life

"These cuddly cloth dolls are great for playtime and can also be used as sex education props when explaining the human reproductive cycle to boys and girls ages 3 to 9." Amamanta Family Dolls



Found at Sensible Erection, apparently the image was saved on their pc and they have no information... If you know anything about this doll or others like it, please do let me know!



The maker of the Fetus Popple says, "I made this 3 years ago for Embryology class, and I was inspired by the Knitted Digestive System to post it here. The concept is ripped off of Popples, those vaguely mammalian stuffed toys that 20-somethings might remember; they could turn inside-out with a little pouch-thing on their back, so that all you could see is their tail sticking out of a little ball. I thought the gimmic would be a useful way of illustrating the various pouch-within-a-pouch structure of fetal membranes."





More plush sex dolls, note the strange proportions?



Quasi related, these stuffed tampon dolls. (I link to Slip's post as the vendor appears to be out of them now.)

Adult Collectors

I've been contacted by a company which is thinking of creating a collectors' site devoted to risque and adult collectibles and they'd like our input.

This would be a collectibles site -- vintage men's mags, postcards, art, erotic antiques, old publications, pinups, explicit items, signed works, etc., not just a bunch of new cheap vibes and DVDs. It would be for adults only, therefore removing the problems of underage buyers and the threat of complaints about images or materials -- photos would remain hosted until you removed them. Both soft and hardcore items could be showcased here, including fetish & SM categories so you could accurately show an item and its condition. (Anything other than illegal items, of course.)

This site would not be just another attempt at an adult auction site but rather be a social site for collectors where you could network to find other collectors (and collectors could find sellers and specific items).

You would be allowed to link to your own personal website in your profile, post images of your collections as well as negotiate trades and sales of items without listing or final value fees. They also would have an informative blog with regular updates on adult collectibles so that there is a reason for folks to come visit.

If there were a site devoted to risque and adult collectibles, one which allowed you to display your collection with an unlimited number of items shown/listed until you took them down, let you network and negotiate with others collectors and sellers, where all members were adults, would you pay a monthly fee?

If so how much would you pay?

As a collector, I see the advantage being a site built around collectibles, history and artifacts not just the latest in dildo and DVD releases. I personally would love to see such a site because eBay is intolerable and it's hunt and peck and how many individual sites? In terms of sellers, this is a much more economical & practical than using eBay with it's high fees and restrictions (not just in types of items, but the fact that they hide their 'mature' category) or other outlets which have just the standard toy and DVD distributors &/or no buyers.

What do you think? Post your comments &/or email me. I promise not to disclose your personal information; just share your ideas on the platform and pricing.

-- UPDATE, May 2, 2007 --

Since many of you have asked who this company is (and I certainly understand your concerns) I've asked for permission to post who this is.

It's Collectors' Quest, which has been online over a year and will soon be expanding to the more social things mentioned above (such as profiles, being able to show your collection, trade and sell etc.).

It was during the discussion of what to do with the more mature items which members might wish to post at such mainstream site that the idea of making a site devoted to our sort of items was mentioned. This would be a separate site (different domain name).

Thanks to those who have posted comments & emailed their thoughts -- please continue!

-- UPDATE, June 11, 2007 --

For the latest update, check this post!

You Just Wanted To Wrestle

"Don't talk to me -- You said you just wanted to wrestle."

I'm not sure, but I think this vintage postcard may be an error print... Not that it matters for the reasons I'm showing it here -- that's for the giggle. But I thought I'd point it out anyway.

The front credits the art to Michael Angelo, with copyright 1949 Dennis Delger, but the back says, "From an original etching by Wm. Standing. Noted Indian Artist."

I couldn't find any references to Angelo and Standing other than other copies of this postcard for sale, and the style doesn't seem in line with Standing's usual works. (I'm not suggesting the artist would be incapable of such whimsy, just noting that it is more cartoon like than the works I've seen -- including his sketches. I am no expert here.)

I find moments like this intriguing. As a collector I often find myself side-tracked into researching something or someone that I've never heard of before -- or wanting to know more than I do -- simply because of an object. While the Internet can be a helpful tool, I'm still so very surprised when there's nothing on Google. If it's not in Google, can it really exist? It must, for it's in my hand...

The temptation might be to think you have something very rare, simply because it's 'nowhere to be found.' But that's a puzzling thing because most of my junk isn't so rare... For example, this postcard is from 1949, not 1849, and isn't all that rare. If this postcard isn't rare, then why hasn't anyone else posted about the Michael Angelo/Wm Standing connection?

I have so many stories like this, where what I think will be simple research simply isn't. (Neither simple nor existing.) I must admit here that this can only make me more obsessive. I've wasted hours, days, on trying to find answers to simple things like this. To no avail.

Sometimes my husband rolls his eyes when I'm two hours into such a search (not that he should, he's nearly as likely to do so for his things) wondering if I've lost my mind (at least I acknowledge that sometimes I've lost my priorities for a day or two). But he's partly to blame: he took me to the auction, the estate sale, the flea market etc. Like the snarky feline on this postcard I speak over my shoulder, "Don't talk to me -- you said you just wanted to bid on some stuff."

We both knew what would happen if we did. ;)

I don't think I'm alone here in my urge to quest. Most collectors' purpose or interest surpasses just questing for the objects and goes to the larger picture or context of the object itself.

In the scheme of things, this little innuendo postcard isn't important. On its own it's amusing and I'd like to keep it -- and when added to the rest of my risque-to-naughty collection, it sure provides a fuller picture of things. But the matter of who drew it isn't as important to all of that. At least not to my collection's story. But I just like to know...

And as a collector, I know these details are part of its value; the whole collection's value.

So, if you know anything, let me know.

It's number 45 in a series by Western Stationary Co., Yachats, Oregon, if that helps...

Mouth Made For Pie; I Could Just Die

An old postcard I got this week... This one reads:

If all the world was made of pie
I could be happy, quite
You see this little mouth I have
For pie is built just right.


Around the boy/man is a dotted circle -- just begging for me to cut or punch it out. (I won't; but I want to.)

Of course, it could just be my dirty mind which makes me think this vintage naughty. (Maybe the circle is nothing but a design... And maybe pie is just a tasty pastry treat.) But I was laughing so hard at this, I had to buy it. A whopping US dollar. Now that's priceless, MasterCard.

The only marking is a 'G' in the lower left corner. If you know more about this gem, please let me know!

News

The Reading Experience Database 1450-1945 is a project by the Open University and the University of London.

They are interested in knowing about how, why, what, when and where people read and what they thought about their reading. Of particular interest are groups who may have been previously under-represented in history: women, domestic servants and slaves, labourers, clerks, artisans and others - the ordinary people whose voices have rarely been heard.

Via Dove Grey Reader.

Also, Yvonne De Carolo has died. (Nice selection of photos and a vid clip too.)

1963 Focus on London After Dark Magazine

A fellow collector is looking for information on &/or a copy of Focus on London After Dark, Vol 1 No 2, 1963.

Shown here is the front cover and an image presumably from the inside -- all he has are these digital images.

Of most importance is the cover story in the lower right corner: The Sex Scandal That Rocked Britain. (Regarding Profumo scandal in England.)

This is the information he has provided to help folks trace this publication:

It's the cover of an American mag. I have a contact in GB who says these pictures are taken at a house called Ewhurst in Elstree, north London. As with Harrison Marks' house it was extensively used by fashion and porno photographers.

The guy painting (in the second image) is the owner of the car and the house, not Harrison Marks; he is also the guy in the pic on the lower right. Identity not known yet (can be checked, but will take months to access the archives).

It is believed that Stephen Ward took the pictures. Behind her, walking up to the car (it was THAT close!) ....is ME. I recall him being annoyed at me, he didn't see me coming back from opening the gate and I stepped into the frame as he pressed the button. It was the last frame on the reel. So if you find the original film-roll it will show the garden scene first, then some heavy sex, then the car picture. I, we, are not entirely sure of the year these pictures were taken, but we would guess around '62 as Terry began working for HM in '62, but she might have been on the scene before then. The car is a Bentley Continental S Park Ward Drophead, made from '54-'57.

The same girls in both pics, it is thought. So this is probably '62, the spring perhaps, or the previous autumn? My contact has good pics of a lot of HM's girls and thinks the brunette Terry Peters (she looks a bit like Palmer - my guess - but has much smaller nipples) the redhead in the big picture is not Pamela Green, definite, but probably Maxine Miller, and thus she's the girl in the car picture too (both
names are probably only model-names, not their real ones).

He's looking specifically for this issue, but any related materials may also be wanted. These include other photos, publications, films, documents, archives and articles pertaining to the individuals mentioned.

Since he's one of the men in the photo, he's provided other photos of himself taken about that time to help you identify other photos from that period or that very roll of film.

This collector also adds the following:

The press were heavily censored in Britain at the time, but seemingly you Yanks were able to dig deep. How deep? And what else did they have in their archives that didn't make the magazine?

If you do find a magazine and it's not for sale a Xerox copy would surfice. Forget the money, I'll pay for good stuff. But I would just love to get the negs, even copies of them.

Any information &/or leads are appreciated!


Send information to him at sverre_helgesen@hotmail.com.

You may also post in the comments section or email me as I am also researching this.

Anyone Know More About Storks Being a "Dirty Bird"?

This is a patch I found at an estate sale, but I know little about it...

Embroidered on the green velvet, is a stork delivering a baby. The text reads "The Stork Is A Dirty Bird".

I grabbed it up, for such a stork referencing the old myths of where babies come from fits my perception of my collection. (And I do have quite a few very innocent stork items for such reasons -- plus, storks are entertaining as they go from cute to comical.) But I have no information on what significance the saying has, nor a clue as to who would wear such a patch (or perhaps it is a pocket due to its shape?).

I figured the internet would clue me in on the history, but no luck. If you have more information, post a comment or email me. Thanks!