Galleries may contain explicit images
Secret Impressions: The Reproduction of Erotica Prior to the Camera
Secret Impressions presents a selection of lithographs, engravings, etchings and woodblock prints from the mid-19th century and earlier. These artworks from France, England, Italy, Germany, Holland, and Japan illustrate the means by which pornographic and erotic images were mass produced before the invention of the camera. Wealthy collectors could commission paintings, but others could purchase prints at a lower cost.
The introduction of photography in 1839 saw it became a popular medium for depictions of the nude figure, as well as erotic imagery. The first photographic process to become widespread was the daguerreotype, which produced a unique image and made possible the mass production of erotic images.
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Unknown artist, France
Train de Plaisir (Train of Pleasure), 19th century, Hand-colored lithograph
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Unknown artist, France
Phoebus & La Esméralda, 19th century, Hand-colored lithograph
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Unknown artist, France
Le donneur d’esprit, 19th century, Lithograph
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Cherubino Alberti, Italy
Male figures pressing grapes for wine, late 16th or early 17th century,
Engraving
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Hans Sebald Beham (1500-1550), Germany
Chastity of Joseph or Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife, 1526, Engraving
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Marcantonio Raimondi (c. 1480-c.1534), Italy
Satyr discovering a sleeping nymph, early 16th century, Engraving, 17.3" x 11"
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Unknown artist, France
Two women and one man engaged in sexual activity, 19th century, Hand-colored lithograph
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Unknown Artist
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Unknown artist, Europe
Pinto and the Dutchess of Evora, mid-19th century, Lithograph
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Unknown artist, France
Les con-cul-pine, 1830-1840, Lithograph
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Unknown artist, probably France
Woman, man and priest engaged in sexual activity, 19th century, Hand-colored lithograph
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