French postcard
A French postcard is a small, postcard-sized piece of cardstock featuring a photograph of a nude or semi-nude woman. Such erotic cards were produced in great volume, primarily in France, in the late 19th and early 20th century. The term was adopted in the United States, where such cards were not legally made.[1] The cards were sold as postcards, but the primary purpose was not for sending by mail, as they would have been banned from delivery. The cards sometimes even depicted naked lesbians.[2] French street vendors, tobacco shops and a variety of other vendors bought the photographs for resale to tourists.
French postcard images
A number of photographers and studios produced French postcards, with some of them featuring particularly popular models.
Pseudo-classical scene with kithara
Image of the Gulf of Naples with Mount Vesuvius on left
Zoro Garden Nudist Colony
San Diego, California
E. Le Delay
"Five nude women in dance"
"Postcard of French woman", non-nude
in style of French postcards
Postcard, Seated woman with a herma, 1920s
Orientalist images
Many photographers and studios specialized in images with an Orientalist theme.
Aqua-Photo L.V.S.
Moroccan slave serving her master
Behar
Arab girl
Combier (CIM)
Roger-Viollet/Alinari
Two prostitutes in an Algerian brothel
Ephtimios
Egyptian girl at the fountain
J. Garrigues
Young Bedouin girl
Jean Gieser
Young Bedouin girl
Collection idéale PS
"Moorish"
Levy & Fils
"Moorish"
Frères Neurdein
Young Algerian woman
Raphael Tuck & Sons
Egyptian beauty
F. Viala
"Young woman at Moroccan massage"
References
- The Color of Words: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Ethnic Bias in the United States, Philip Herbst. Intercultural Press, 1997, page 86
- Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia. Routledge, 2014, p. 48-49
- De l'académisme à la photo de charme, Christian Bourdon. Paris: Marval, 2006 ISBN 978-2862343945
- "Fernande 1910s Nude Model". Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
Further reading
- French Postcards: An Album of Vintage Erotica, Martin Stevens. Universe Books/Rizzoli, 2007, ISBN 978-0789315342.
- P. Hammond French undressing: naughty postcards from 1900 to 1920. London: Jupiter, 1976.
- W. Oulette, B. Jones Erotic postcards. New York: Excalibur, 1977.
| Nakedness and clothing | |
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| Nudity and sexuality | |
| Issues in social nudity | |
| Naturism | |
| Nude recreation |
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| By location | |
| Social nudity advocates | |
| Depictions of nudity | |
| See also | |
