Two related but distinct operations used the “Gargoyle” name in the American underground fetish and flagellation scene.
Gargoyle Press (1930s)
Gargoyle Press was a small private imprint active in the early 1930s that issued limited-edition flagellation books for collectors. Known titles include:
- Painful Pleasures (1931) – privately printed in 1,500 copies, illustrated by Francis Heuber
- The Strap Returns: New Notes on Flagellation (1934) – illustrated by Vladimir Alexander Karenin
- The Misfortunes of Colette (circa 1930) – the English translation of Aimé Van Rod’s Les Malheurs de Colette, issued privately for subscribers and illustrated by Eric Galton (8 plates)
- Invitation to the Dance (1935) – a miscellany of stories, experiences, letters and articles on corporal punishment, edited/adapted by Walter J. Meusal and illustrated by E. Remsen
These were classic English-language flagellation volumes in the tradition of earlier clandestine publishers, focusing on spanking, discipline and related themes.
An interesting detail: some copies or later printings of Painful Pleasures (1931) contain in-text sketches attributable to the Danish illustrator Gerda Wegener. At least eight such drawings have been identified. Wegener is better known for her refined lesbian erotica and fashion work, making her appearance in this American flagellation volume a rare and noteworthy crossover.
Gargoyle Sales Corp. (1950s)
Gargoyle Sales Corp. (also known as Gargoyle Sales Corporation) was a discreet New York-based mail-order operation active primarily in the 1950s. It specialized in fetish and bondage material, distributing photo sets and illustrated comic serials that catered to a specialized underground audience at a time when obscenity laws made such enterprises risky and necessarily low-profile.
The company sold sets of photographs (often 8 × 10 inch prints) featuring bondage and fetish themes. Models associated with the material include Bettie Page and Barbara Pauline, among others.
Photographer Sam Menning served as something of a house photographer, producing fetish-oriented images that fit the restrained yet dramatic aesthetic of the era (lingerie, poses of control and restraint, and carefully staged scenarios rather than explicit content).
Alongside the photo sets, Gargoyle Sales issued comic serials: illustrated stories with blocks of text at the top of each page and ink drawings below, printed on photo paper for economical short-run production.
Notable titles include:
- Model Prisoner by E. Ford (ca. 1956), a 48-chapter serial
- Locked into Lingerie by E. Ford (ca. 1960)
- The Strap Returns by Malteste (ca. 1955)
- Bizarre Honeymoon, the enduring 16-picture story with illustrations by Gregor
- Three Painful Years by Claire Willowes (ca. 1957)
Claire Willows (sometimes spelled Willowes) was a pseudonymous author and illustrator active from the 1930s into later decades. Her work for Gargoyle Sales and related underground outlets featured expressive line work focused on corporal punishment, bondage and power exchange, often in historical or exotic settings.
Gargoyle Sales published sexy photo sets and comic serials with fetish, bondage and domination themes. Its most enduring product is the 16-picture story now known as Bizarre Honeymoon.
After the demise of Gargoyle Sales, some of its material was reprinted by Satellite and other publishers. The 1950s comic version of The Strap Returns later circulated through Stanton Archives (and earlier through Mutrix / Irving Klaw channels).
Historical Notes
The 1930s Gargoyle Press and the 1950s Gargoyle Sales appear to have been separate operations, though the shared name and the reappearance of titles such as The Strap Returns and the involvement of artists like Claire Willows create occasional confusion among collectors.
Ownership details remain scarce. Later research has sometimes linked the 1950s company to a figure named Shapiro (also associated with Waron Books), who encountered postal difficulties over “obscene” material.
Both imprints belong to the discreet American fetish underground that operated alongside Irving Klaw’s Nutrix publications and the work of artists such as Eric Stanton and Gene Bilbrew.
Recommended Resources
High-quality digital replicas of the 1950s Gargoyle Sales serials (Model Prisoner, The Strap Returns by Malteste, Bizarre Honeymoon, Three Painful Years, etc.) are available from 30th Street Graphics.
On Vintage Bdsm Art you can find dedicated pages and artwork collections for: The Strap Returns (both the 1934 Karenin edition and the later Malteste serial), Vladimir Alexander Karenin, Francis Heuber, Gregor, Eric Galton, E. Remsen, Les Malheurs de Colette and Claire Willows.
