Photographs highlighting erotic fashion, costume design, and performances with BDSM and fetish vibes
Margaretha Zelle, born in 1876 in Leeuwarden, escaped an abusive marriage by reinventing herself as Mata Hari, Paris’s most celebrated exotic dancer and courtesan. In 1917 France, desperate for a scapegoat, executed her as a German spy on flimsy evidence. Survivor, performer, myth: the original femme fatale was simply a woman trying to live.
Continue reading Mata Hari: The Myth, the Dancer, the Scapegoat
The Diana Slip Lingerie company, active from the 1920s to 1940s, emerged as a significant entity under the ownership of Léon (Victor) Vidal, with its establishment rooted in France around 1930. The company opened a luxurious boutique by the upmarket Madeleine district in Paris, between rue Royale and the Place Vendome. Les Editions Gauloise (later, Les Libraires Nouvelles) was a company which comprised a diverse … Continue reading Diana Slip Lingerie
Grisha and Brona, the electrifying dance duo of the 1930s and 1940s, lit up vaudeville stages with their captivating performances and stunning costumes. Known for their exotic flair, their outfits, like the iconic tulle overlay with a plastic-like sheen, likely crafted from rayon or nylon for its stiffness and affordability. These outfits, captured in rare 1940s publicity photos, evoke the allure of BDSM aesthetics, blending … Continue reading Exotic Vaudeville dancers Grisha and Brona
Actresses Alberta (1904 – 1992)and Adamae Vaughn (1905 – 1943) in a composition titled “Sisters Enchained,” on page 17 of the September 17, 1926 Arts and Vanities.Internet Archive The title “Sisters Enchained” does not appear to refer to a specific film, play, or known work directly associated with the Vaughn sisters in available records. Instead, it likely describes a feature article, pictorial, or artistic composition in … Continue reading Sisters Enchained
Unknown models and photographer Continue reading Captured Beauties
Burlesque has long been a stage for bold creativity, merging humor, satire, and a hint of the risqué. One captivating trend from its golden era was the “1/2 and 1/2” costume act, where dancers sported a “normal” stage dress on one side, only to reveal a dramatic twist on the other—be it a man’s suit, a gorilla costume, or the devil himself! This style surged … Continue reading The Devil Dancers
