Only when I started to sort out my material did I realise stereographers' obsession for revealing ladies' legs and other naughty bits. As early as 1870 Photographic News published a report of a man arrested for selling 30 vulgar slides to soldiers, sailors and schoolboys - so if you don't come into one of those categories this page may not be for you. Some of these are mechanically produced views - presumably to keep them in pocket-money range. They are often not in particularly good condition - presumably because they have been taken into battle/up rigging/to school. The pricing of these views is loosely based on the principle of 'more flesh, more dollars'. I find this a sad comment on me, you, and the world in general.
In Victorian
England even the legs of tables were covered with a cloth down to the ground
in case the sight inflamed the passions of men. Playboy these are not,
social history they are. I will try to refrain from sexist comments that
might get me in trouble with the Thought Police. I have included the odd
view of men showing legs to provide a sense of balance. Some of these bear
the name of a previous owner 'John Farrow'. If you know him, avoid him.
If you are him - see a shrink ASAP. If you can't afford it,
I'll start a fund.
The 'S.P'
views are real photos - not mechanically produced.
'Hosiery going up'. Presumably
there is also a 'Hosiery going down'; I shall eagerly search for it but
might keep it to brighten my (impending) old age.
Condition. Some lifting of
the images where the glue hasn't taken.
Order #17801.
Price $5.
British & Foreign View
Co. Stamp on back indicates that this was originally sold by an opticians
in Leamington !!!
Condition 5.
Order #17805.
Price $6.
'It makes a new woman of you'.
Am I missing something?
Condition 7.
Order #17806.
Price $4.
Anglo-American Stereoscopic
Co. 'I'll bet you don't'. Nice studio pose.
Condition 7.
Order #17809.
Price $8.
'Cinderella'. Can't imagine
her in a fairy coach.
Condition. Fading.
Order #17810.
Price $4.
Anglo American Stereo Co. 'Lace
my ?????'. Lady has had a very bad hair day. Small amount of ankle showing.
If you're turned on by this - get a life.
Condition 7.
Order #17817.
Price $8.
'Pickwich in the wrong room'.
Condition. Images 8, mount
trimmed at bottom edges to fit in a narrow viewer.
Order #17819.
Price $8.
'In der Hangermatte'. Translates
as 'In the Hangermatte'. If it had one 't' then it would be a useful little
device for storing your clothes in a caravan - but it hasn't.
Condition. Surface wrinkles
from bad mounting.
Order #17821.
Price $4.
'How nice'.
Condition 7.
Order #17823.
Price $4.
'Hallow E'en part, boxing match,
England's advantage'. US flag sash makes up for lack of exposed flesh.
Looks like a pirated view, probably originally Graves of Philadelphia by
the shape of the blanked-out logo on the right image. John Farrow owned
this one - wonder if he's still writhing in the fires of Hell.
Condition 7.
Order #17824.
Price $6.
Griffith & Griffith, copyright
1897, William H. Rau. 'Well, what are you looking at?'. Again, formerly
owned by Mr Farrow.
Condition. Slight production
fault at bottom of right image. Mount trimmed at bottom edges to fit narrow
viewer.
Order #17825.
Price $8.
'The surprised bathers'.
Condition 7/8.
Order #17826.
Price $8.
'Paddy's Blarney'. Not much
flesh but four girls.
Condition 7 (surface scratches).
Order #17827.
Price $10.
B.K. (A. Block of Paris). A
much better class of model.
Condition 7/8.
Order #17829.
Price $18.
Healthier outdoor pursuits
by Underwood. 'Surprised bathers'. They look anything but surprised and
I think they had been trying to get this shot right all morning.
Condition 6/7. (slight mark
on face of woman l/h image. Views better than scan).
Order #17830.
Price $5.
Just to prove the point, this
Excelsior version is a slightly different pose.
Condition 7.
Order #17831.
Price $8.
Excelsior. Untitled.
Condition 4 (fading).
Order #17832.
Price $5.
C.H. Graves, Philadelphia 'A
warm day'. One is OK. Oh, and they could've cleared the underwear out from
under the bed before the photo shoot. Seller's stamp for W.E. Bell, Penshurst,
New South Wales, Australia. A much-traveled view.
Condition 6.
Order #17833.
Price $12.
'A terrible strain'. Not sure
if lady is pooing her pants. Neither is man in backgound or author of title.
Condition. Yet again, mounted
after liquid lunch. Light crease thru right image.
Order #17838.
Price $5.
'Smokeless powder'.
Condition. Some light dents
on left image.
Order #17839.
Price $8.
'Don't get above your business'.
Condition 7.
Order #17840.
Price $8.
'Butterfly skirt dance'.
Condition. Surface soiling.
Order #17841.
Price $4.
The
views in the next section are of paintings. This ruse, used since time
immemorial, enabled much more flesh to be exposed in the name of 'Art'.
This can cause untold hassle at times, as when Epstein sculpted the memorial
to be placed on Oscar Wilde's tomb in Paris. The figure's dongle caused
much heart-searching among the city burghers who metaphorically sat on
the problem for a year before allowing the statue to be erected (no pun
intended), bearing a screwed-on figleaf. By the 1930s a more relaxed attitude
allowed the figleaf to be unscrewed again. Two English ladies, visiting
the cemetary, were so outraged that they wacked the dongle off with their
brollies. It then rested for many years on the office desk of the cemetary
caretaker, who used it as a paperweight, before disappearing from history.
No wonder I get very little work done!
Great Western View Co. 'A serious
misadventure (Scalbert)'. NO STEREO EFFECT.
Condition. Three small brown
spots on left image.
Order #17844.
Price $2.
'Summer bath at Pompeii (Boulanger,
G.)'.
Condition 9.
Order #17846.
Price $12.
'Danae (Van Dyck, A.)'.
Condition 9.
Order #17847.
Price $12.
'Bathers (Salles-Wagner, Mme
A.)'.
Condition 9.
Order #17848.
Price $12.
'Bacchante Awakening (Kraus,
F.)'.
Condition 8/9.
Order #17849.
Price $10.
'Nymphe mit Liebesgott (Papperitz,
G.)'.
Condition 9.
Order #17851.
Price $12.
'Namouna (Delhumea, G.)'.
Condition 8.
Order #17853.
Price $12.
'Diana (Lefebvre, Jules)'.
Condition 9.
Order #17855.
Price $12.
Tissue views. Tissues are difficult to photograph and, generally, the quality is much better when viewed. Sometimes the image just can't be scanned satisfactorily. As always, if any view fails to please, we offer a money-back guarantee.
Very much better tinting than
scan with delicate colors.
Condition. Split as pic. Other
image undamaged.
Order #17856.
Price $12.
A very big girl with painted
over bloomers.
Condition. Slight lifting
of tissue backing.
Order #17858.
Price $18.
The rest of these tissue views are a few from 'Nos Mondaines' series by Block of Paris. When I got them they were warped, with the tissue having pulled tight on the mount. This was probably due to being stored loosely in a very dry atmosphere. They have now settled down and, as long as they are kept properly, I think they will remain reasonably flat.
1. Chez le Peintre.
Condition. Some light black
spotting.
Order #17859.
Price $22.
Josephine elle est malade.
Condition. Undamaged.
Order #17865.
Price $22.
6 . La Douche.
Condition Split extreme bottom
right of right image. Left image undamaged.
Order #17877.
Price $22.
