FACTOID # 43: Japanese and South Korean kids are the best in the world at science and maths.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > History of erotic depictions
Roman oil lamp depicting coitus more ferarum
Roman oil lamp depicting coitus more ferarum

Erotic depictions include paintings, sculpture, photographs, dramatic arts, music and writings that show scenes of a sexual nature. They have been created by nearly every civilisation, ancient and modern. Early cultures often associated the sexual act with supernatural forces and thus their religion is intertwined with such depictions. In Asian countries such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan and China, representations of sex and erotic art have specific spiritual meanings within the native religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto and Taoism. The Greeks and Romans produced much art and decoration of an erotic nature, much of it integrated with their religious beliefs and cultural practices.[1][2] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (500x640, 49 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Doggy style Pornography Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (500x640, 49 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Doggy style Pornography Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or... Doggy-style intercourse Doggy style, is a sex position. ... The Mona Lisa is one of the most recognizable artistic paintings in the Western world. ... An Italian Futurist sculpture by Umberto Boccioni at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City (MoMA). ... A photograph (often shortened to photo) is an image created by focusing light onto material having a light-sensitive coating. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Music is a form of art and entertainment or other human activity that involves organized and audible sounds and silence. ... A Specimen of typeset fonts and languages, by William Caslon, letter founder; from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... This article is about the issues and phenomena pertaining to human sexual function and behavior. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Erotica. ... Hinduism (Sanskrit: , , also known as , ) is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ... Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: बुद्ध धम्म, the teachings of the awakened one) is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. ... Shinto() is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... Taoism (sometimes written as and actually pronounced as Daoism (dow-ism)) is the English name for: Dao Jia [philosophical tao] philosophical school based on the texts the Tao Te Ching (ascribed to Laozi [Lao Tzu] and alternately spelled Dào Dé Jīng) and the Zhuangzi; a family of organized... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...


In more recent times, erotic depictions have gone from being a luxury item for the few to a propaganda tool and then an everyday commodity, and even a livelihood for some. As the technology of communication has changed, each new technique, such as printing, photography, motion pictures and computers, has been adapted to display and disseminate these depictions.[3] An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation directly aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people, rather than impartially providing information. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light. ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... A Lego RCX Computer is an example of an embedded computer used to control mechanical devices. ...

Contents

Historic attitudes regarding erotic depictions

Typical heterosexual Roman painting from Pompeii
Enlarge
Typical heterosexual Roman painting from Pompeii

In early times, erotic depictions were often a subset of the indigenous or religious art of cultures and as such were not set aside or treated differently than any other type. The modern concept of pornography did not exist until the Victorian era. Its current definition was added in the 1860s, replacing the older one meaning writings about prostitutes.[4] It first appeared in an English medical dictionary in 1857 defined as "a description of prostitutes or of prostitution, as a matter of public hygiene."[5] By 1864, the first version of the modern definition had appeared in Webster's Dictionary: "licentious painting employed to decorate the walls of rooms sacred to bacchanalian orgies, examples of which exist in Pompeii."[6] This was the beginning of what today refers to explicit pictures in general. Though some specific sex acts were regulated or prohibited by earlier laws, merely looking at objects or images depicting them was not outlawed in any country until 1857. In some cases, the possession of certain books, engravings or image collections was outlawed, but the trend to compose laws that actually restricted viewing sexually explicit things in general was a Victorian construct.[3] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Pornographic movies Pornography (from Greek πόρνη (porni) prostitute and γραφή (grafi) writing), more informally referred to as porn or porno, is the representation of the human body or sexual activity with the goal of sexual arousal. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... 1888 advertisement for Websters Dictionary Websters Dictionary is the common title given to English language dictionaries in the United States, derived from American lexicographer Noah Webster. ... Weighing scales represent the way law balances peoples interests For other senses of this word, see Law (disambiguation). ...


When large-scale excavations of Pompeii were undertaken in the 1860s, much of the erotic art of the Romans came to light, shocking the Victorians who saw themselves as the intellectual heirs of the Roman Empire. They did not know what to do with the frank depictions of sexuality, and endeavored to hide them away from everyone but upper class scholars. The movable objects were locked away in the Secret Museum in Naples, and what could not be removed was covered and cordoned off so as to not corrupt the sensibilities of women, children and the working class. England's (and the world's) first laws criminalising pornography were enacted with the passage of the Obscene Publications Act of 1857.[3] Despite their occasional repression, depictions of erotic themes have been common for millennia.[7] Excavation is the best-known and most commonly used technique within the science of archaeology. ... A computer-generated depiction of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 which buried Pompeii, from the BBCs Pompeii: The Last Day. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... The term Secret Museum (or Secret Cabinet/Gabinetto Segreto) principally refers to the collection of erotic or sexually explicit finds from Pompeii, held in the Naples National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Italy. ... The Bay of Naples Naples (Italian: , Neapolitan: Nàpule, from Greek Νεάπολη < Νέα Πόλις Néa Pólis New City) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of the Campania region and the Province of Naples. ... Since 1857, a series of obscenity laws known as the Obscene Publications Acts have governed what can be published. ...


Early depictions

The Venus of Willendorf is a prehistoric depiction.
The Venus of Willendorf is a prehistoric depiction.
Pederastic courtship scene on an Athenian black-figure amphora from the 5th century B.C.
Enlarge
Pederastic courtship scene on an Athenian black-figure amphora from the 5th century B.C.

Among the oldest surviving examples of erotic depictions are Paleolithic cave paintings and carvings. Some of the more common images are of animals, hunting scenes and depictions of human genitalia (thought to be fertility symbols). Nude human beings with exaggerated sexual characteristics are depicted in some Paleolithic paintings and artifacts (e.g. Venus figurines). Recently discovered cave art at Creswell Crags in England, thought to be more than 12,000 years old, includes some symbols that may be stylized versions of female genitalia. However there is no indication that these were made for erotic stimulation, so it is far more likely that these were objects used in religious rituals.[8] Archaeologists in Germany reported in April 2005 that they had found what they believe is a 7,200-year-old scene depicting a male figurine bending over a female figurine in a manner suggestive of sexual intercourse. The male figure has been named Adonis von Zschernitz.[9] However, it is not certain that the purpose of these artifacts was individual sexual arousal. Instead, the images may have had a spiritual significance and are probably connected with fertility rituals. Venus of Willendorf File links The following pages link to this file: Obesity Venus of Willendorf Categories: Sculptures containing nudity | Images with unknown source ... Venus of Willendorf File links The following pages link to this file: Obesity Venus of Willendorf Categories: Sculptures containing nudity | Images with unknown source ... Venus of Willendorf Venus of Willendorf, also known as the Woman of Willendorf, is a 11. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (369x602, 163 KB) (This is a higher-res copy of Image:Munich vase 72 wiki. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (369x602, 163 KB) (This is a higher-res copy of Image:Munich vase 72 wiki. ... The term pederasty or paederasty embraces a wide range of erotic practices between adult males and adolescent boys. ... A view of the Acropolis of Athens during the Ottoman period, showing the buildings which were removed at the time of independence The History of Athens is the longest of any city in Europe: Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,000 years. ... Amphoræ on display in Bodrum Castle, Turkey An amphora is a type of ceramic vase with two handles, used for the transportation and storage of perishable goods and more rarely as containers for the ashes of the dead or as prize awards. ... The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (Greek παλαιός paleos=old and λίθος lithos=stone or the Old Stone Age) was the first period in the development of human technology of the Stone Age. ... Cave or rock paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis... External links Venus figures from the Stone Age Images of women in ancient art http://perso. ... Map sources for Creswell Crags at grid reference SK536741 Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge on the Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire border, in the Midlands of England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Fertility is the ability of people or animals to produce healthy offspring in abundance. ...


The ancient Greeks often painted sexual scenes on their ceramics, many of them famous for being some of the earliest depictions of same-sex relations. Greek art often portrays sexual activity, but it is impossible to distinguish between what to them was illegal or immoral since the ancient Greeks did not have a concept of pornography. Their art simply reflects scenes from daily life, some more sexual than others. Carved phalli can be seen in places of worship such as the temple of Dionysus on Delos, while a common household item and protective charm was the herm, a statue consisting of a head on a square plinth with a prominent phallus on the front. The Greek male ideal had a small penis, an aesthetic the Romans later adopted.[3][10][11]The Greeks also created the first well-known instance of lesbian eroticism in the West, with Sappho's Hymn to Aphrodite and other homoerotic works.[12] The Ancient Greek world, circa 550 BC Ancient Greece does not exsist Ancient Greece is also the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... Ceramics is the art form that uses ceramic materials to produce works of art. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual and romantic attraction between two individuals of the same sex. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dionysus with a leopard, satyr and grapes on a vine, in the Palazzo Altemps (Rome, Italy) This article is about the ancient deity. ... The island of Delos, Carl Anton Joseph Rottmann, 1847 The island of Delos (Greek: Δήλος, Dhilos), isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, had a position as a holy sanctuary for a millennium before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of... In ancient Greece, before his role as protector of merchants and travelers, Hermes was a phallic god, associated with fertility, luck, roads and borders. ... Jupiter and Callisto (1744) by François Boucher. ... Ancient Greek bust. ... Homoeroticism refers to same-sex love and desire, most especially as it is depicted or manifested in the visual arts and literature. ...

For more details on this topic, see Art in ancient Greece.
A Priapus figure from Pompeii. Large phalli were considered undesirable for men to possess and often depicted for comic effect in ancient Rome.
A Priapus figure from Pompeii. Large phalli were considered undesirable for men to possess and often depicted for comic effect in ancient Rome.[3][2]

There are numerous sexually explicit paintings and sculpture from the ruined Roman buildings in Pompeii and Herculaneum but the original purposes of the depictions can vary. On one hand, in the "Villa of the Mysteries", there is a ritual flagellation scene that is clearly associated with a religious cult and this image can be seen as having religious significance rather than sexual. On the other hand, graphic paintings in a brothel advertise sexual services in murals above each door. In Pompeii, phalli and testicles engraved in the sidewalks were created to aid visitors in finding their way by pointing to the prostitution and entertainment district as well as general decoration. The Romans considered depictions of sex to be decoration in good taste, and indeed the pictures reflect the sexual mores and practices of their culture. Sex acts that were considered taboo (such as those that defiled the purity of the mouth) were depicted in baths for comic effect. Large phalli were often used near entryways, for the phallus was a good luck charm, and the carvings were common in homes. One of the first objects excavated when the complex was discovered was a marble statue showing the god Pan having sex with a goat, a detailed depiction of bestiality considered so obscene that it is not on public display to this day and remains in the Secret Museum in Naples.[2][3][13] The Charioteer of Delphi, Delphi Archaeological Museum. ... Image File history File links Mercury_god. ... Image File history File links Mercury_god. ... Bronze sculpture, House of the Vettii, Pompeii In Greek mythology, Priapus was a fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. ... A computer-generated depiction of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 which buried Pompeii, from the BBCs Pompeii: The Last Day. ... Herculaneum (in modern Italian Ercolano) was an ancient Roman town, located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Roman public baths in Bath, England. ... Venus de Milo, front. ... Pan (Greek , genitive ) is the Greek god who watches over shepherds and their flocks. ... Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Look up Bestiality in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Bay of Naples Naples (Italian: , Neapolitan: Nàpule, from Greek Νεάπολη < Νέα Πόλις Néa Pólis New City) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of the Campania region and the Province of Naples. ...

For more details on this topic, see Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The Moche of Peru are another ancient people that sculpted explicit scenes of sex into their pottery. Their purpose however, was much different that that of other early cultures. The Moche believed that the world of the dead was the exact opposite of the world of the living. Therefore, for funeral offerings, they made vessels showing sex acts such as masturbation, fellatio and anal sex that would not result in offspring. The hope was that in the world of the dead, they would take on their opposite meaning and result in fertility. Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum was discovered in the ancient cities around the bay of Naples (particularly of Pompeii and Herculaneum) after extensive excavations began in the 18th century. ... Moche pottery (Image © PROMPERU, used with permission) The Moche civilization (aka the Mochica culture, Early Chimu, Pre-Chimu, Proto-Chimu, etc. ... Unfired green ware pottery on a traditional drying rack at Conner Prairie living history museum. ... Underwater funeral in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea A funeral is a ceremony marking a persons death. ... Mulher Sentada de Coxas Abertas, Drawing 1916 by Gustav Klimt Masturbation is the manual excitation of the sexual organs, usually to the point of orgasm. ... Oral sex consists of all those sexual activities that involve the use of the mouth, tongue, etc. ... Roman men having anal sex. ...

Shunga (Japan)
Shunga (Japan)
Prince and his lady on a terrace at night (India)
Prince and his lady on a terrace at night (India)

There has been a long tradition of erotic painting in the East. Japan, China, India, Persia and other lands produced copious quantities of art celebrating the human faculty of love. The works depict love between men and women as well as same-sex love. In Japan, the erotic art found its greatest flowering in the medium of the woodblock prints. The style is known as shunga (春画 pictures of spring?) and some of its classic practitioners (e.g. Harunobu, Utamaro) produced a large number of works. Painted hand scrolls were also very popular. Shunga appeared in the 13th century and continued to grow in popularity despite occasional attempts to suppress them, the first of which was a ban on erotic books known as kōshokubon ( 好色本?) issued by the Tokugawa shogunate in Kyōhō 7 (1722). Shunga only ceased to be produced in the 19th century when photography was invented.[1][14] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1386x1941, 954 KB) Ba aia sunt poponari in cacat! fr: Suzuki Harunobu, Shunga (détail). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1386x1941, 954 KB) Ba aia sunt poponari in cacat! fr: Suzuki Harunobu, Shunga (détail). ... For other uses of the term Shunga see Shunga (disambiguation) Shunga ((春画) is a Japanese term for erotic pictures. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1537x2212, 750 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of erotic depictions ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1537x2212, 750 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of erotic depictions ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau (Irān - Land of the Aryans[1]) and beyond. ... Yuan dynasty woodblock edition of a Chinese play Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text or images used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China sometime between the mid-6th and late 9th centuries. ... For other uses of the term Shunga see Shunga (disambiguation) Shunga ((春画) is a Japanese term for erotic pictures. ... Suzuki Harunobu (&#37428;&#26408;&#26149;&#20449;) (1724 &#8211; 1770) was a Japanese artist. ... Kitagawa Utamaro, Flowers of Edo: Young Womans Narrative Chanting to the Shamisen, ca. ... The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ... Kyōhō (享保) was a Japanese era after Shōtoku and before Gembun and spanned from 1716 to 1736. ...


The Chinese tradition of the erotic was also extensive, with examples of the art dating back as far as the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). The erotic art of China reached its peak during the latter part of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).[1][15] The Yuan Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: Yuáncháo; Mongolian: Dai Ön Yeke Mongghul Ulus) lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. ... For other uses, see Ming. ...

For more details on this topic, see Pornography in Japan#History.

In both China and Japan, eroticism played a prominent role in the development of the novel. The Tale of Genji, the work by an 11th-century Japanese noblewoman that is often called “the world’s first novel,” traces the many affairs of its hero in discreet but carnal language. [16] From 16th-century China, the still more explicit novel The Plum in the Golden Vase has been called one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. The Tale of Genji has been celebrated in Japan since it was written, but The Plum in the Golden Vase was suppressed as pornography for much of its history, and replaced on the list of four classics. [17] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ilustration of ch. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Heian Period. ... For other uses, see Ming. ... Jin Ping Mei (&#37329;&#29942;&#26757;; pinyin: J&#299;n Píngméi, The Plum in the Golden Vase, The Golden Lotus) is a Chinese realistic novel composed during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), attributed to Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng. ... The Four Great Classical Novels (四大名著) of Chinese literature, not to be confused with the Four Books of Confucianism, in order of publication, are: Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義) (1330) Water Margin (水滸傳) (also known as Outlaws of the Marsh) (1573?) Journey to the West (西遊記) (1590) Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢)(1792...


Erotic scenes in medieval illuminated manuscripts were also common but meant only for those who could afford the extremely expensive hand made books. Most of these drawings occur in the margins of books of hours. Many medieval scholars think that the pictures satisfied the medieval cravings for both erotic pictures and religion in one book, especially since it was often the only book someone owned. Other scholars think the drawings in the margins were a kind of moral caution, but the depiction of priests and other ranking officials engaged in sex acts suggests political origins as well.[3] The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... In the strictest definition of illuminated manuscript, only manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, like this miniature of Christ in Majesty from the Aberdeen Bestiary (folio 4v), would be considered illuminated. ... A illuminated page from the Très Riches Heures showing the day for exchanging gifts from the month of January A Book of Hours is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. ...


It was not until the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg that sexually explicit images entered into any type of mass circulation in the western world. Before that time, erotic images, being hand made and expensive, were limited to upper class males who deliberately kept them away from the labouring class, fearing the effect such things would have on the animal lust of the uneducated. Even the British Museum had a Secretum filled with a collection of ancient erotica donated by the upper class doctor, George Witt in 1865. The remains of the collection, including his scrapbooks, still reside in Cupboard 55, though the majority of it has recently been integrated with the museum's other collections.[18] The printing press is a mechanical device for printing many copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. ... Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (c. ... The centre of the museum was redeveloped in 2000 to become the Great Court, with a tessellated glass roof by Buro Happold and Foster and Partners surrounding the original Reading Room. ... The Secretum is a name given to Cupboard 55 in the Department of Medieval and Later Antiquities at the British Museum, London. ... Boink Erotica (from the Greek language Eros - love) — are works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or arousing descriptions. ...


Beginnings of mass circulation

Printing

See also: Erotic literature and I Modi

In the 16th century an attempt to print erotic material caused a scandal when Italians Pietro Aretino and Marcantonio Raimondi produced the I Modi in 1524, an illustrated book of 16 "postures" or sexual positions. Raimondi had actually published the I Modi once before, and was subsequently imprisoned by the Pope Clement VII and all copies of the illustrations were destroyed. Raimondi based the engravings on a series of erotic paintings that Giulio Romano was doing as a commission for the Palazzo del Te in Mantua. Though the two depictions were very similar, only Raimondi was prosecuted because his engravings were capable of being seen by the public. Romano did not know of the engravings until Aretino came to see the original paintings while Romano was still working on them. Aretino then composed sixteen explicit sonnets ("both in your pussy and your behind, my cock will make me happy, and you happy and blissful")[3][19] to go with the paintings and secured Raimondi's release from prison. The I Modi was then published a second time, with the poems and the pictures, making this the first time erotic text and images were combined, though the papacy once more seized all the copies it could find. Raimondi escaped prison that time, but the censorship was so complete that no original copies have ever been found. The text in existence is only a copy of a copy that was discovered 400 years later.[3][19] Erotic literature is a literary genre that either takes the form of erotica written to arouse the reader, or to give instruction in sexual technique. ... I Modi (The Ways, also known as The 16 Pleasures) is a famous, essentially lost erotic book of the Italian Renaissance. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (583x773, 220 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of erotic depictions ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (583x773, 220 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of erotic depictions ... I Modi (The Ways, also known as The 16 Pleasures) is a famous, essentially lost erotic book of the Italian Renaissance. ... Categories: People stubs | 1492 births | 1556 deaths ... Marcantonio Raimondi (c. ... I Modi (The Ways, also known as The 16 Pleasures) is a famous, essentially lost erotic book of the Italian Renaissance. ... For the antipope (1378–1394) see antipope Clement VII and other Popes named Clement see Pope Clement. ... Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. ... Fire in the Borgo, Vatican fresco Giulio Romano (ca 1499? – November 1, 1546) was an Italian painter, architect, and decorator. ... Palazzo del Te, Mantua (1524 - 1534). ... Mantua (in Italian Mantova, in the local dialect of Emiliano-Romagnolo language Mantua) is an important city in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province with the same name. ... Francesco Petrarca or Petrarch, one of the best-known of the early Italian sonnet writers For the Saab automobile, see Saab Sonett, for the Japanese communications company see So-net. ...


In the 17th century, numerous examples of pornographic or erotic literature began to circulate, mostly printed in Amsterdam, and smuggled into European states. These included L'Ecole des Filles, a French work printed in 1655 that is considered to be the beginnings of pornography in France. It consists of an illustrated dialogue between two women, a 16-year-old and her more worldly cousin, and their explicit discussions about sex. The author remains anonymous to this day, though a few suspected authors served light prison sentences for supposed authorship of the work.[20] In his famous diary, Samuel Pepys records purchasing a copy for solitary reading and then burning it so that it would not be discovered by his wife; "the idle roguish book, L'escholle de filles; which I have bought in plain binding… because I resolve, as soon as I have read it, to burn it."[21] Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 741,329 (1 August 2006) Demonym Amsterdammer Coordinates Website www. ... Portrait of Samuel Pepys by John Hayls. ...

Illustration from Juliette by the Marquis de Sade
Illustration from Juliette by the Marquis de Sade

During the Enlightenment, many of the French free-thinkers began to exploit pornography as a medium of social criticism and satire. Libertine pornography was a subversive social commentary and often targeted the Catholic Church and general attitudes of sexual repression. The market for the mass-produced, inexpensive pamphlets soon became the bourgeoisie, making the upper class worry, as in England, that the morals of the lower class and weak-minded would be corrupted since women, slaves and the uneducated were seen as especially vulnerable during that time. The stories and illustrations (sold in the galleries of the Palais Royal, along with services of prostitutes) were often anti-clerical and full of misbehaving priests, monks and nuns, a tradition that in French pornography continued into the 20th century. In the period leading up to the French Revolution, pornography was also used as political commentary; Marie Antoinette was often targeted with fantasies involving orgies, lesbian activities and the paternity of her children, and rumors circulated about the supposed sexual inadequacies of Louis XVI.[20][22] During and after the Revolution, the famous works of the Marquis de Sade were printed. They were often accompanied by illustrations and served as political commentary for their author.[23] Image File history File links Juliette_Sade_Dutch. ... Image File history File links Juliette_Sade_Dutch. ... Juliette is a novel written by the Marquis de Sade and published 1797 - 1801, accompanying Sades Nouvelle Justine. ... Portrait of the Marquis de Sade by Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo (c. ... The Age of Enlightenment refers to either the eighteenth century in European philosophy, or the longer period including the seventeenth century and the Age of Reason. ... 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ... Libertine has come to mean one free from restraint, particularly from social and religious norms and morals. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see Terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins and sees itself as the true Church founded by Jesus of Nazareth and maintained through Apostolic Succession from the Twelve... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Gardens of the Palais-Royal: The illustration, from an 1863 guide to Paris, enlarges the apparent scale. ... Anti-clericalism is a movement that opposes religious interference into public and political life and more generally the encroachment of religion in the citizens lives. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 &#8211; executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... Louis XVI of France Louis XVI (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French from 1791 to 1792. ... Portrait of the Marquis de Sade by Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo (c. ...


The English answer to this was Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (later abridged and renamed Fanny Hill) written in 1748 by John Cleland. While the text satirised the literary conventions and fashionable manners of 18th century England, it was more scandalous for depicting a woman, the narrator, enjoying and even reveling in sexual acts with no dire moral or physical consequences. The text is hardly explicit as Cleland wrote the entire book using euphemisms for sex acts and body parts, employing 50 different ones just for the term penis. Two small earthquakes were credited to the book by the Bishop of London and Cleland was arrested and briefly imprisoned, but Fanny Hill continued to be published and is one of the most reprinted books in the English language. However, it was not legal to own this book in the United States until 1963 and in the United Kingdom until 1970.[24] Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, also known as Fanny Hill is a novel by John Cleland. ... Professor John Cleland is a consultant researcher from Hull who specialises in cardiology. ... The penis (plural penises, penes) is an external male sexual organ. ... Arms of the Bishop of London The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. ...


Photography

For more details on this topic, see History of erotic photography.
19th-century nude photograph
Enlarge
19th-century nude photograph

In 1839, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre presented the first practical process of photography to the French Academy of Sciences.[25] Unlike earlier photographic methods, his daguerreotypes had stunning quality and detail and did not fade with time. The new technology did not go unnoticed by artists eager for new ways to depict the undraped feminine form. Traditionally, an académie was a nude study done by a painter to master the female (or male) form. Each had to be registered with the French government and approved or they could not be sold. Soon, nude photographs were being registered as académie and marketed as aids to painters. However, the realism of a photograph as opposed to the idealism of a painting made many of these intrinsically erotic. In Nude photography, 1840–1920, Peter Marshall notes: "In the prevailing moral climate at the time of the invention of photography, the only officially sanctioned photography of the body was for the production of artist's studies. Many of the surviving examples of daguerreotypes are clearly not in this genre but have a sensuality that clearly implies they were designed as erotic or pornographic images."[3][26] Photography of female nudes in the public domain refers to the art and process of taking pictures of unclothed women prior to January 1, 1923. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1551x2128, 841 KB) Nu anonyme, 19e siècle. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1551x2128, 841 KB) Nu anonyme, 19e siècle. ... Louis Daguerre Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787 - 1851) was the French artist and chemist who is recognized for his invention of the Daguerreotype process of photography. ... Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light. ... Louis XIV visiting the Académie in 1671 The French Academy of Sciences (Académie des sciences) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. ... L’Atelier de lartiste. ... Depictions of nudity refers to nudity in all the artistic disciplines including vernacular and historical depictions. ... The Mona Lisa is one of the most recognizable artistic paintings in the Western world. ...


The daguerreotypes were not without drawbacks, however. The main difficulty was that they could only be reproduced by photographing the original picture since each image was an original and the all metal process does not use negatives. In addition, the earliest daguerreotypes had exposure times ranging from three to fifteen minutes, making them somewhat impractical for portraiture. Unlike earlier drawings, action could not be shown. The poses that the models struck had to be held very still for a long time. Because of this, the standard pornographic image shifted from one of two or more people engaged in sex acts to a solitary woman exposing her genitals. Since one picture could cost a week's salary, the audience for these nudes mostly consisted of artists and the upper echelon of society. It was cheaper to hire a prostitute and experience the sex acts than it was to own a picture of them in the 1840s.[3] Stereoscopy was invented in 1838 and became extremely popular for daguerreotypes, including the erotic images. This technology produced a type of three dimensional view that suited erotic images quite well.[27] Although thousands of erotic daguerreotypes were created, only around 800 are known to survive; however, their uniqueness and expense meant that they were once the toys of rich men. Due to their rarity, the works can sell for more than 10,000 GBP.[3] Color, positive picture (A) and negative (B), monochrome positive picture (C) and negative (D) In photography, a negative may refer to 3 different things, although they are all related. ... Self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh A portrait is a painting, photograph, or other artistic representation of a person. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis... Stereo card view of Manhattan, c. ... The space we live in is three-dimensional space. ...


In 1841, William Fox Talbot patented the calotype process, the first negative-positive process, making possible multiple copies.[28] This invention permitted an almost limitless number of prints to be produced from a glass negative. Also, the reduction in exposure time made a true mass market for pornographic pictures possible. The technology was immediately employed to reproduce nude portraits. Paris soon became the centre of this trade. In 1848 only thirteen photography studios existed in Paris; by 1860, there were over 400. Most of them profited by selling illicit pornography to the masses who could now afford it. The pictures were also sold near train stations, by traveling salesmen and women in the streets who hid them under their dresses. They were often produced in sets (of four, eight or twelve), and exported internationally, mainly to England and the United States. Both the models and the photographers were commonly from the working class, and the artistic model excuse was increasingly hard to use. By 1855, no more photographic nudes were being registered as académie, and the business had gone underground to escape prosecution.[3] William Henry Fox Talbot William Henry Fox Talbot (February 11, 1800 - September 17, 1877) was one of the first photographers and made major contributions to the photographic process. ... The Calotype was an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Fox Talbot, using paper sheets covered with silver chloride. ... Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street station in 1865. ...

Eadweard Muybridge: Woman walking with fishing pole (detail)
Eadweard Muybridge: Woman walking with fishing pole (detail)

The Victorian pornographic tradition in Britain had three main elements: French photographs, erotic prints (sold in shops in Holywell Street, a long vanished London thoroughfare, swept away by the Aldwych), and printed literature. The ability to reproduce photographs in bulk assisted the rise of a new business individual, the porn dealer. Many of these dealers took advantage of the postal system to send out photographic cards in plain wrappings to their subscribers. Therefore, the development of a reliable international postal system facilitated the beginnings of the pornography trade. Victorian pornography had several defining characteristics. It reflected a very mechanistic view of the human anatomy and its functions. Science, the new obsession, was used to ostensibly study the human body. Consequently, the sexuality of the subject is often depersonalised, and is without any passion or tenderness. At this time, it also became popular to depict nude photographs of women of exotic ethnicities, under the umbrella of science. Studies of this type can be found in the work of Eadweard Muybridge. Although he photographed both men and women, the women were often given props like market baskets and fishing poles, making the images of women thinly disguised erotica.[3] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (827x440, 76 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of erotic depictions ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (827x440, 76 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of erotic depictions ... Muybridges The Horse in Motion. ... Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London. ... A British pillar box The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ... Human anatomy or anthropotomy is a special field within anatomy. ... Muybridges The Horse in Motion. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...


Magazines

For more details on this topic, see Pornographic magazine.
The first issue of Playboy
The first issue of Playboy

In 1880, halftone printing was used to reproduce photographs inexpensively for the first time.[25] The invention of halftone printing took pornography and erotica in new directions at the beginning of the 20th century. The new printing processes allowed photographic images to be reproduced easily in black and white, whereas printers were previously limited to engravings, woodcuts and line cuts for illustrations.[29] This was the first format that allowed pornography to become a mass market phenomena, it now being more affordable and more easily acquired than any previous form.[3] Pornographic magazines, sometimes known as adult magazines or sex magazines are magazines that contain content of a sexual nature, typically regarded as pornography. ... First issue of Playboy magazine, featuring a black and white photo of Marilyn Monroe (in a dress) promising inside full-color pics of her nude. ... First issue of Playboy magazine, featuring a black and white photo of Marilyn Monroe (in a dress) promising inside full-color pics of her nude. ... Playboy is an American adult entertainment magazine, founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, which has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc. ... Halftoning is a method of printing shades using a single color ink. ... Four horsemen of the Apocalypse by Albrecht Dürer. ...


First appearing in France, the new magazines featured nude (often, burlesque actresses were hired as models) and semi-nude photographs on the cover and throughout; while these would now be termed softcore, they were quite shocking for the time. The publications soon either masqueraded as "art magazines" or publications celebrating the new cult of naturism, with titles such as Photo Bits, Body in Art, Figure Photography, Nude Living and Modern Art for Men.[3] Health and Efficiency, started in 1900, was a typical naturist magazine in Britain. [30] Photo of Lucky St. ... Softcore is a form of pornography that is less explicit than hardcore material in depicting or describing sexual behaviour. ... Bredene nude beach in Belgium. ...


Another early form of pornography were comic books known as Tijuana bibles that began appearing in the U.S. in the 1920s and lasted until the publishing of glossy colour men's magazines commenced. These were crude hand drawn scenes often using popular characters from cartoons and culture.[31] A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... The cover of a typical Tijuana bible. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ...


In the 1940s, the word "pinup" was coined to describe pictures torn from men's magazines and calendars and "pinned up" on the wall by U.S. soldiers in World War II. While the '40s images focused mostly on legs, by the '50s, the emphasis shifted to breasts. Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe were two of the most popular pinup models. In the second half of the 20th century, pornography evolved into the men's magazines such as Playboy and Modern Man of the 1950s. In fact, the beginning of the modern men's glossy magazine (or girlie magazine) can be traced to the 1953 purchase by Hugh Hefner of a photograph of Marilyn Monroe to use as the centerfold of his new magazine Playboy. Soon, this type of magazine was the primary medium in which pornography was consumed.[32] A pin-up girl is a woman whose physical attractiveness would entice one to place a picture of her on a wall. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... A pregnant womans breasts. ... Betty Grable Ruth Elizabeth Betty Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 3, 1973) was an American actress, singer, and pin-up girl whose famous bathing-suit poster was an icon of the World War II era. ... Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American actress, singer and model. ... Supermodel Daniella Sarahyba. ... Playboy is an American adult entertainment magazine, founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, which has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...


These magazines featured nude or semi-nude women, sometimes apparently masturbating, although their genitals or pubic hair were not actually displayed. Penthouse, started by Bob Guccione in England in 1965, took a different approach. Women looked indirectly at the camera, as if they were going about their private idylls. This change of emphasis was influential in erotic depictions of women. Penthouse was also the first magazine to publish pictures that included pubic hair and full frontal nudity, both of which were considered beyond the bounds of the erotic and in the realm of pornography at the time. In the late 1960s, magazines began to move into more explicit displays often focusing on the buttocks as standards of what could be legally depicted and what readers wanted to see changed. By the 1970s, they were focusing on the pubic area and eventually, by the 1990s, featured sexual penetration, lesbianism and homosexuality, group sex, masturbation, and fetishes in the more hard-core magazines such as Hustler.[3][32] Pubic hair is hair in the frontal genital area, the crotch, and sometimes at the top of the inside of the legs; these areas form the pubic region. ... Penthouse, a mens magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and soft-core pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. ... Robert Charles Guccione (born December 17, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA) was founder and publisher (until November 2003, when he resigned) of the adult magazine Penthouse. ... The buttocks (anatomical nates, clunium, gluteus, regio glutealis) are rounded portions of the anatomy located on the posterior of the pelvic region of the apes, humans and many other bipeds or quadrupeds. ... Sexual penetration (as opposed to outercourse) typically involves the insertion of the penis into a bodily orifice. ... This article is about homosexual women, not inhabitants of the Greek island of Lesbos A lesbian (lowercase L) is a homosexual woman. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual and romantic attraction between two individuals of the same sex. ... Peter Fendi, 1835 Group sex is sexual behaviour involving more than two participants at the same time. ... It has been suggested that Insertion fantasy be merged into this article or section. ... Hustler (June, 1978), perhaps the most controversial issue due to the perceived misogyny of the cover image Larry Flynt Hustler Club on West 52nd Street in New York Hustler is a monthly pornographic magazine aimed at men and published in the United States. ...


Magazines for every taste and fetish were soon created due to the low cost of producing them. Magazines for the gay community flourished, the most notable and one of the first being Physique Pictorial, started in 1951 by Bob Mizer when his attempt to sell the services of male models; however, Athletic Model Guild photographs of them failed. It was published in black and white, in a very clear yet photographic manner celebrating the male form and was published for nearly 50 years. The magazine was innovative in its use of props and costumes to depict the now standard gay icons like cowboys, gladiators and sailors.[3][33] The Athletic Model Guild was an old organization founded by gay pioneer Bob Mizer in the mid-1940s. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The classic vision of the American cowboy, as portrayed by Frederic Remington A cowboy (Spanish vaquero) tends cattle and horses on cattle ranches in North and South America. ... This article is about the Roman professional fighter. ... A sailor is a member of the crew of a ship or boat. ...


Moving pictures

For more details on this topic, see Pornographic film.
Images from early Austrian erotic films
Images from early Austrian erotic films

The next technological advance that affected the way people viewed erotic depictions was the invention of the motion picture. William Laurie Dickson, an employee of Thomas Edison, invented the first practical celluloid film for this application and decided on 35mm for the size, a standard still used. He then worked on making the kinetoscope, a peep show machine showing a continuous loop of the film Dickson invented lit by an Edison light source. This was the predecessor to the motion picture projector.[34] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (405x1157, 440 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Pornographic film User:Markaci/Nudity History of erotic depictions Nudity and sexuality Metadata This file contains additional information... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (405x1157, 440 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Pornographic film User:Markaci/Nudity History of erotic depictions Nudity and sexuality Metadata This file contains additional information... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (August 3, 1860–September 28, 1935) was a Scottish inventor who is credited with the invention of the motion picture camera under the employ of Thomas Edison. ... Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life in the 20th century. ... Simulated 35 mm film with soundtracks _ The outermost strips (on either side) contain the SDDS soundtrack as an image of a digital signal. ... Kinetoscope with open door, film loop, and top viewing window open The Kinetoscope was a device that gave the impression of movement by moving an endless loop of film continuously over a light source with a rapid shutter. ... A peep show or peepshow is an exhibition of pictures or objects viewed through a small hole or magnifying glass. ...


Dickson left Edison's employ and formed his own company that produced the mutoscope, a form of hand cranked peep show movie machine. These machines produced moving images by means of a revolving drum of card illustrations, taken from an actual piece of film. They were often featured at seaside locations, showing (usually) sequences of women undressing or acting as an artist's model. In Britain, they became known as "What the butler saw" machines, taking the name from one of the first and most famous softcore reels.[35][36] The Mutoscope an 1899 trade advertisement The Mutoscope was an early form of motion picture device, invented by the American Mutoscope Company aka American Mutoscope and Biograph Company in 1895. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... What the Butler Saw was a very popular Mutoscope reel, and an early example of softcore pornography. ... Softcore is a form of pornography that is less explicit than hardcore material in depicting or describing sexual behaviour. ...


The idea of projecting a moving film onto a screen in front of an audience was a European invention. In 1895, Robert W. Paul and Auguste and Louis Lumière gave their first public demonstrations of motion picture projectors.[37] Pornographic films were produced almost immediately after the medium was invented. Two of the earliest pioneers were Eugène Pirou and Albert Kirchner, who directed the earliest surviving pornographic film for Pirou under the trade name "Léar". The 1896 film, Le Coucher de la Marie showed Mlle. Louise Willy performing a striptease. Oddly enough, Kirchner is chiefly remembered by film historians as the first man to produce a film about the life of Christ, the Passion du Christ. Pirou's film inspired a genre of risqué French films showing women disrobing when other filmmakers realised profits could be made.[38][39] Home theater projection screen (119 in. ... Robert W. Paul, (1869 – 1943) was a British electrician and scientific instrument maker and early pioneer of British film. ... Auguste (left) and Louis Lumière. ... 35 mm Kinoton movie projector in operation. ... Eugène Pirou (1841-1909) was an early French filmmaker and photographer who made one of the first pornographic films, Le Coucher de la Marie in which Louise Willy performed a striptease, only a year after the first public screening of motion pictures, though he made his name filming the... A stripper near the end of her performance. ...


Because Pirou is nearly unknown as a pornographic filmmaker, credit is often given to other films for being the first. According to Patrick Robertson's Film Facts, "the earliest pornographic motion picture which can definitely be dated is A L'Ecu d'Or ou la bonne auberge" made in France in 1908; the plot depicts a weary soldier who has a tryst with a servant girl at an inn. The Argentinian El Satario might be even older; it has been dated to somewhere between 1907 and 1912. He also notes that "the oldest surviving pornographic films are contained in America's Kinsey Collection. One film demonstrates how early pornographic conventions were established. The German film Am Abend (1910) is "a ten-minute film which begins with a woman masturbating alone in her bedroom, and progresses to scenes of her with a man performing straight sex, fellatio and anal penetration."[40] Courtship (sometimes called dating or going steady) is the process of selecting and attracting a mate for marriage or sexual intercourse. ... Dr. Alfred Charles Kinsey (June 23, 1894 – August 25, 1956), was an American biologist and professor of entomology and zoology who in 1947 founded the Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University Bloomington, now called the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. ... , Cameo perfume bottles, ca. ...


Soon illegal, stag films or blue films as they were called, were produced underground by amateurs for many years starting in the 1940s. Processing the film took considerable time and resources, with people using their bathtubs to wash the film when processing facilities (often tied to organized crime) were unavailable. The films were then circulated privately or by traveling salesman but being caught viewing or possessing them put one at the risk of prison.[3][41] A bathtub A bathtub (or simply bath) is a plumbing fixture used for bathing. ...


The post-war era saw developments that further stimulated the growth of a mass market. Technological developments, particularly the introduction of the 8mm and super-8 film gauges, resulted in the widespread use of amateur cinematography. Entrepreneurs emerged to supply this market. In Britain, the productions of Harrison Marks were "soft core", but considered risqué in the 1950s. On the continent, such films were more explicit. Lasse Braun was as a pioneer in quality colour productions that were, in the early days, distributed by making use of his father's diplomatic privileges. Pornography was legalized in the Netherlands in 1969 and this led to an explosion of commercially produced pornography. Now that being a pornographer was a legitimate occupation, there was no shortage of businessmen to invest in proper plant and equipment capable of turning out a mass-produced, cheap, but quality product. Vast amounts of this new pornography, both magazines and films, were smuggled into other parts of Europe, where it was sold "under the counter" or (sometimes) shown in "members only" cinema clubs.[3] 8mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. ... Super 8 can refer to: Super 8 Motels, a national motel chain Super 8mm film, a form of film often used for home movies, most popular in the 60s and 70s This is a disambiguation page &#8212; a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... Cinematography, English render of the French cimématographie, is the discipline of making lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. ... George Harrison Marks was a British glamour photographer at the height of his productivity from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s. ... Lasse Braun (born as Alberto Ferro in 1936 in Algiers, Algeria) is an Italian director, labelled as the Legendary King of Modern Pornography, who produced films with the motto He claims to have lost his virginity at age 8, with a 9-year-old Italian girl in the attic of...


The first explicitly pornographic film with a plot that received a general theatrical release in the U.S. is generally considered to be Mona (also known as Mona the Virgin Nymph), a 59-minute 1970 feature by Bill Osco and Howard Ziehm, who went on to create the relatively high-budget hardcore/softcore (depending on the release) cult film Flesh Gordon.[42][41] The 1971 film Boys in the Sand represented a number of pornographic firsts. As the first generally available gay pornographic film, the film was the first to include on-screen credits for its cast and crew (albeit largely under pseudonyms), to parody the title of a mainstream film (in this case, The Boys in the Band), and to be reviewed by The New York Times.[43] In 1972, pornographic films hit their public peak in the United States with both Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door being met with public approval and becoming social phenomena. The Devil in Miss Jones followed in 1973 and many predicted that frank depictions of sex onscreen would soon become commonplace, but culture soon shifted to the more conservative side and that fantasy never came true. William Rotsler expressed this in 1973, "Erotic films are here to stay. Eventually they will simply merge into the mainstream of motion pictures and disappear as a labeled sub-division. Nothing can stop this."[44] In Britain however, Deep Throat was not approved in its uncut form until 2000 and not shown publicly until June of 2005.[41][45][46] Flesh Gordon was a 1974 science fiction and comedy adventure film. ... Boys in the Sand is a landmark 1971 gay pornographic film. ... Leonard Frey as Harold The Boys in the Band is a 1970 film directed by William Friedkin. ... The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... Deep Throat is an American pornographic movie released in the summer of 1972, written and directed by Gerard Damiano and starring Linda Lovelace (the pseudonym of Linda Susan Boreman). ... Marilyn Chambers Behind the Green Door (1972) was the first hardcore pornographic movie widely released in the United States. ... The Devil in Miss Jones (1973) The Devil in Miss Jones is a 1973 Pornographic movie, written and directed by Gerard Damiano. ... William Bill Rotsler (July 3, 1926 - October 8, 1997) was an American author of several science fiction novels and short stories; television and film novelizations; and a number of non-fiction works on a variety of topics, ranging from Star Trek to pornography. ...


Video and digital depictions

For more details on this topic, see Internet pornography.
Digitally altered erotic photograph
Digitally altered erotic photograph

By 1982, most pornographic films were being shot on the cheaper and more convenient medium of video tape. Many film directors resisted this shift at first because of the different image quality that video tape produced, however those who did change soon were collecting most of the industry's profits since consumers overwhelmingly preferred the new format. The technology change happened quickly and completely when directors realised that continuing to shoot on film was no longer a profitable option. This change moved the films out of the theatres and into people's private homes. This was the end of the age of big budget productions and the mainstreaming of pornography. It soon went back to its earthy roots and expanded to cover every fetish possible since filming was now so inexpensive. Instead of hundreds of pornographic films being made each year, thousands now were, including compilations of just the sex scenes from various videos.[3][41] Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed via the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (498x633, 83 KB) It is an erotic picture. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (498x633, 83 KB) It is an erotic picture. ... The video cassette recorder (or VCR, less popularly video tape recorder) is a type of video tape recorder that uses removable cassettes containing magnetic tape to record audio and video from a television broadcast so it can be played back later. ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ...


Erotic CD-ROMs were popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s because they brought an unprecedented element of interactiveness and fantasy. However, their poor quality was a drawback and when the internet became common in households their sales declined. About the same time as the video revolution, the Internet became the preferred source of pornography for many people, offering both privacy in viewing and the chance to interact with people. The recent influx of widely available technology such as digital cameras, both moving and still, has blurred the lines between erotic films, photographs and amateur and professional productions. It allows easy access to both formats, making the production of them easily achieved by anyone with access to the equipment. Much of the pornography available today is produced by amateurs. Digital media is revolutionary in that it allows photographers and filmmakers to manipulate images in ways previously not possible, heightening the drama or eroticism of a depiction.[3] The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... A SiPix digital camera next to a matchbox to show scale. ... For images in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Images. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...


References

  1. ^ a b c Rawson, Phillip S. (1968). Erotic art of the east; the sexual theme in oriental painting and sculpture. New York: Putnam, 380. LCC N7260.R35.
  2. ^ a b c Clarke, John R. (April 2003). Roman Sex: 100 B.C. to A.D. 250. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 168. ISBN 0810942631.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Marilyn Chambers, John Leslie, Seymore Butts. (2005). Pornography: The Secret History of Civilization [DVD]. Koch Vision. ISBN 1417228857
  4. ^ Sigel, Lisa (2002). Governing Pleasures. Pornography and Social Change in England, 1815–1914. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-3001-6.
  5. ^ Dunglison, Robley (1857). Medical lexicon. A dictionary of medical science, 1857 edition, s.v. "Pornography". From the Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989), s.v. "pornography". Bibliographic information retrieved November 30, 2006 from [1].
  6. ^ An American dictionary of the English language, new and revised edition (1864), s.v. "Pornography". From the Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989), s.v. "pornography". Bibliographic information retrieved November 30, 2006 from [2].
  7. ^ Beck, Marianna (May 2003). The Roots of Western Pornography: Victorian Obsessions and Fin-de-Siècle Predilections. Libido, The Journal of Sex and Sensibility. Retrieved on 2006-08-22.
  8. ^ Pickrell, John (Aug, 18 2004). Unprecedented Ice Age Cave Art Discovered in U.K.. Nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-21.
  9. ^ Krysia Diver. Archaeologist finds 'oldest porn statue'. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2006-08-21.
  10. ^ Herm of Dionysos. The Getty Museum. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  11. ^ Adams, Cecil (9 December 2005). Why does so much ancient Greek art feature males with small genitalia?. The Straight Dope. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  12. ^ Williamson, Margaret (1995). Sappho's Immortal Daughters. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674789121.
  13. ^ Hemingway, Seán (Winter 2004). "Roman Erotic Art". Sculpture Review 53 (4): 10–15. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
  14. ^ Shunga. Japanese art net and architecture users system (2001). Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  15. ^ Bertholet, L.C.P. (October, 1997). Dreams of Spring: Erotic Art in China: From the Bertholet Collection. Pepin Press. ISBN 9054960396.
  16. ^ Puette, William J. (2004). The Tale of Genji: A Reader’s Guide. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0804833311.
  17. ^ Roy, David Tod (1993). The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei : The Gathering, Volume I. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691069328.
  18. ^ Giamster, David (September 2000). "Sex and Sensibility at the British Museum". History Today 50 (9): 10–15. Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
  19. ^ a b Lawner, Lynne ed. (1989). I Modi: The Sixteen Pleasures: An Erotic Album of the Italian Renaissance. Northwestern University Press. ISBN 0810108038.
  20. ^ a b Beck, Marianna (Dec 2003). The Roots of Western Pornography: The French Enlightenment Takes on Sex. Libido, The Journal of Sex and Sensibility. Retrieved on 2006-08-22.
  21. ^ Latham, Robert ed. (1985). The Shorter Pepys. University of California Press. ISBN 0520034260.
  22. ^ Beck, Marianna (Feb 2003). The Roots of Western Pornography: The French Revolution and the Spread of Politically-Motivated Pornography. Libido, The Journal of Sex and Sensibility. Retrieved on 2006-08-22.
  23. ^ Beck, Marianna (March 2003). The Roots of Western Pornography: The Marquis de Sade's Twisted Parody of Life. Libido, The Journal of Sex and Sensibility. Retrieved on 2006-08-22.
  24. ^ Beck, Marianna (Jan 2003). The Roots of Western Pornography: England Bites Back With Fanny Hill. Libido, The Journal of Sex and Sensibility. Retrieved on 2006-08-22.
  25. ^ a b Cross, J.M. (2001-02-04). Nineteenth-Century Photography: A Timeline. the Victorian Web. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  26. ^ Marshall, Peter. Nude photography, 1840-1920. About.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  27. ^ Stereoscopy.com FAQ. Stereoscopy.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  28. ^ Schaaf, Larry (1999). The Calotype Process. Glasgow University Library. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  29. ^ St. John, Kristen; Linda Zimmerman (June 1997). Guided Tour of Print Processes: Black and White Reproduction. Stanford library. Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
  30. ^ About H&E Naturist. Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  31. ^ Adelman, Bob, Richard Merkin (September 1, 1997). Tijuana Bibles: Art and Wit in America's Forbidden Funnies, 1930s-1950s. New York: Simon & Schuster, 160. ISBN 0684834618.
  32. ^ a b Gabor, Mark (February 27, 1984). The Illustrated History of Girlie Magazines. New York: Random House Value Publishing. ISBN 0517549972.
  33. ^ Bianco, David. Physique Magazines. PlanetOut.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  34. ^ Carr, Jack. "Adventures in motion pictures", The Scotsman magazine, March 23, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-10-16. (in English)
  35. ^ History. American Mutoscope & Biograph Co. (2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
  36. ^ Let's Go to the Movies: The Mechanics of Moving Images. Museum of American Heritage (17 September 2001). Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
  37. ^ Pioneers of Early Cinema: 5. Information Sheet 5.3.43. National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (2000). Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
  38. ^ Bottomore, Stephen; Stephen Herbert and Luke McKernan eds. (1996). Léar (Albert Kirchner). Who's Who of Victorian Cinema (British Film Institute). Retrieved on 2006-10-15.
  39. ^ Bottomore, Stephen; Stephen Herbert and Luke McKernan eds. (1996). Eugène Pirou. Who's Who of Victorian Cinema (British Film Institute). Retrieved on 2006-10-15.
  40. ^ Robertson, Patrick (Dec. 2001). Film Facts. Billboard Books, 256. ISBN 0823079430.
  41. ^ a b c d Corliss, Richard (March 29, 2005). That Old Feeling: When Porno Was Chic. Time magazine. Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
  42. ^ Mehendale, Rachel. "Is porn a problem?", Sex, The Daily Texan, February 9, 2006, pp. 17, 22. Retrieved on 2006-10-15. (in English)
  43. ^ Edmonson, Roger, Cal Culver, Casey Donovan (October, 1998). Boy in the Sand: Casey Donovan, All-American Sex Star. Alyson Books, 264. ISBN 1555834574.
  44. ^ Schaefer, Eric (Fall 2005). "Dirty Little Secrets: Scholars, Archivists, and Dirty Movies". The Moving Image 5 (2): 79—105. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
  45. ^ Hattenstone, Simon. "After 33 years, Deep Throat, the film that shocked the US, gets its first British showing", The Guardian, June 11, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-10-18. (in English)
  46. ^ "Porn film on 'landmark 100' list", BBC News, 5 October 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-28. (in English)

The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (279th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Ancient Greek erotic art

Chinese erotic art

Eadweard Muybridge

Erotic art of the Roman civilization

Erotic art of India

Erotic art of Persia

Erotic engravings

Shunga

Vintage nude photographs

  • Pan copulating with a goat (statue)
  • Explicit Moche pottery
  • More Moche pottery
  • Erotic Daguerreotype
  • Cover of early men's magazine


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.