DEVILS Les Diableries Tissue Stereos 1860s

Amongst the most amusing photographic efforts of the 1860s in France were the Les Diableries, a series of "tissue" (hold-to-light) stereographic photographs of satin in hell. Here are five images with different mounts. Edited details and description from wikipedia follows.

Les Diableries is the title of a series of stereoscopic photographs published in Paris during the 1860s. The photographs, commonly known as stereoviews portray vignettes which depict scenes of daily life in Hell. Much of the subject matter was satirical and mirrored the corruption and excess of Paris during the Second Empire. 

The photographs were reverse colored by hand, then backed with a layer of tissue paper and sandwiched between two double window cardboard mattes. Known as a “tissue views” or “hold-to-light views” and is similar to modern day slides or transparencies. For added effect, the eyes of the skeletons and various other creatures were pierced and dabbed with colored gelatin, causing their eyes to glow red. The final product was then viewed through a stereoscope which produced a realistic 3D effect.

At least three sculptors are known to have created vignettes for the series: Louis Alfred Habert, Pierre Adolph Hennetier and Louis Edmond Cougny. The series was originally published by Francois Benjamin Lamiche but was later taken over and expanded by the publisher Adolph Block. A total of 72 scenes were published by Block.

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Tinted Beauties: Hand-Tinted Art Deco Postcard Nudes

 

Tinted Beauties: Hand-Tinted Art Deco Postcard Nudes

At lunch with Alexandre Dupouy and his wife Jocelyne, in June 2009, he asked if I had any "tinted nudes". He was referring to hand-tinted, real photo postcard nudes published in Paris circa 1920 ~ 1930. He showed me a few he had in his pocket, just purchased hours before at Carte Expo, the Paris postcard show. "Yes" I said, I have a good selection of them in my inventory as well as an excellent personal collection. He seemed at first skeptical, but when I assured him that I was not kidding, he said "I want to see them".

A few days later I returned to New York and emailed scans to Paris. Within days we agreed to do a book of "tinted nudes" the result of which is Beautes Teintees, published by Editions Astarte at the end of December, 2009. The book, filled with over 100 marvelous hand-tinted nudes, the majority coming from my personal collection with additional images from Alexandre. They epitomizing the art-deco style era of the nude in Paris.

The book includes a short text written by me in English, translated in Paris to French and edited with corrections here in New York. In brief, each of the images starts as a "standard" warm or sepia toned real photo postcard card (rppc). The coloring is then applied by hand, using brushes, air-brush and stencils (pochoirs) directly on the surface of the photographs, allowing the original sepia flesh tones to stand out against the stylized, art deco backgrounds.

A selection of hand-tinted nudes, most of which appear in the book, follows, without captions and in no particular order. 

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Charles Gilhousen: American Nudes circa 1917~1919

 

Charles Gilhousen: American Nudes circa 1917~1919

The previous post illustrating Louis Igout's French, circa 1870's photographic nudes, represents a glimpse of what was created in Paris during that period. In the United States, by contrast, very little was produced in terms of photographic nudes until the turn-of-the-century. And then nothing distinquisable from academic poses until a few photographer's became active beginning circa 1915. 

Much has been said and written aboutAlbert Arthur Allen, famous for his early, west coast "Alo Nudes" circa 1915; outdoor studies of the female nude and later, his sophisticated and ground breaking portfolios of the early 1920s. 

However, very little is known about Charles Wesley Gilhousen and his marvelous sepia-toned female nudes (most with subtle hand-coloring added), circa 1917 ~ circa 1919, published by Morris & Bendien in New York City. 

Above: Sweet Thoughts, 1919. With the M&B paper label attached upper left corner
Left: A Broken Cord, 1917. With the M&B paper label attached upper left corner


In the early years of my business I purchased just a few Gilhousen's. I was immediately drawn to them, not just by the imagery but also by the subtle use of hand-tinting. Those first examples were in poor condition and I sold them quickly. Then, sometime in the mid-1990's, a large group of Gilhousen's was offered for sale at auction here in New York City. As is usually the case with unknown, uncelebrated work, there was little interest in them and I was pleased to win the lot without much competitive bidding.

Looking over that lot of photographs, maybe 25 or 30 all together, I removed the few that were in poor condition, and a few that were of lesser interest and sold them. The rest were stored in a flat file where they remained undisturbed for many years. Then as I began working on various projects, one about American photographers of the nude, I remembered the Gilhousen's and was delighted to discover them once again.

Over the years I began selling them, a few at a time and at this point, regrettably, in possession of only a handful of scans of some of the better images I owned.

Right: Monderay, no date; circa 1917. M&B paper label attached upper left corner.

Glorianna, no date; circa 1918

 Detail of Morris & Bendien corner tag, circa 1918

The Gypsy Girl, no date; circa 1918

Daisies Won't Tell, 1917

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Cigarette Cards circa 1900 ~ 1930s

Cigarette Cards circa 1900 ~ 1930s

Cigarettes cards appeared for the first time as a premium in the United States, circa 1875.

It was in the U.K. in 1887 that W.D. & H.O. Wills began including advertising cards with their cigarettes. Other cigarette producing tobacco companies soon followed suit and by the turn-of-the-century the cigarette trading card was quite common and collectible. By the 1920s the cards became so popular that the cigarette companies and "aftermarket" vendors starting making albums to hold the cards, usually produced in thematic, numbered sets of 20, 50 or 100.

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(above) Hand-tinted, real photo Melia cigarette card, circa 1925.

Photograph by Albert Wyndham Studio, Paris

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The cards from the U.K. are ubiquitous and best known, therefore I will focus on the hand-tinted, real photo cigarette cards from north Africa, circa 1905~1920s and the movie star albums from Germany, circa 1930s.

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Cigarettes Clement, Oran (Tunisia), circa 1905~1910

Hand-tinted, real photos of Parisian music-hall performers

Cigarettes Le Nil, Tunisia, circa 1920

Sepia-toned real photos of performers, actresses mounted 

into a period album.

Cigarettes Bastos, Oran (Tunisia), circa 1925

Beautifully printed in toned gravure, nude and risque

images of performers

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The German cigarette companies followed suit with cigarette card sets and albums of their own. Not only were they aware of what the English cigarette companies were doing but also of two major German companies, Stollwerck (chocolate) and Liebig (beef extract/bouillon), both of which created beautiful and pedagogical collectible trade cards as premiums. Liebig began issuing its cards in 1872; Stollwerck a bit later, circa 1890s. Stollwerck's name as a chocolate maker, known worldwide, was guaranteed at the 1893 World Colombian Exposition in Chicago where, the 38 foot high, 15 ton Stollwerck pavilion (below), replicating a Renaissance temple, was constructed of chocolate!

With the creation of German cigarette cards in the late 1920s/early 1930s, the focus was on the international cinema and the actors and actresses that starred in them. Soon after cigarette cards were being used to tell the story of the rise of national socialism, the history of the German people, the Olympic Games of 1936 in Berlin, modern dance, the circus, German vaudeville (variete) and more. 

(above and below) Two illustrations showing 21 cards of actors and actresses
from the Moderne Schonheits Galerie series, circa 1933. Published by Kur Mark the series comprised 300 cards.One of the most elaborately designed and beautifully produced cigarette card sets ever made with amazing embossed borders and impeccably printed, color-ized photo portraits.

Cards measure 2" x 2.5"

Wer ist die Schonste Frau? Who is the Most Beautiful Woman?

Germany, circa early 1930s. High quality album with black & white real photos.

Album cover above; album page below.

Salem (Cigarettes) Gold-Film-Bilder. Album 1.

Germany, circa early 1930s. Color-ized printed photographs with gold backgrounds.

Album cover above; album page below.

Die Bunte Welt des Films. The Colorful World of Films. 

Germany, circa early 1930s. Color-ized, printed photographs with a "tri-tone" 

appearance.Album cover above; album page below.

Farb-Filmbilder. Film Pictures in Color. 

German, circa early 1930s. Color-ized, printed photographs with a "tri-tone" appearance.

Album cover with tipped-in photo, above; album page below.

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CORSETS The Hour Glass Figure: French Postcards 1905

CORSETS The Hour Glass Figure: French Postcards 1905

The corseted, hour glass figure of a women remains very appealing and is having a resurgence in fashion as both underwear and outwear. From my archives a selection of both printed and real photo French postcards, circa 1900~1905. It includes views of women undressed in their corsets and of music-hall performers dressed or costumed for the stage and displaying their iconic shapes in hand-tinted 

real photo postcards.

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 Prostitute with her "madam" waiting for the client to arrive

 

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