Rumi Kasuga, born in 1930 in Osaka, became a pioneering figure in the post-war Japanese SM scene. Debuting in Kitan Club in 1954, she was known for her commanding dominance and skill in bondage. Kasuga also owned a bar in the gay SM scene and authored influential articles, solidifying her legacy. Continue reading Rumi Kasuga
Keiko Otsuka (大塚啓子) was an obscure Japanese bondage model in the late 1950s–early 1960s, appearing in Kitan Club magazine. Known for her short bob and intense gaze, she posed in a rare 1963 series alternating as both submissive and dominant, offering an early femdom hint in raw, functional kinbaku style. Continue reading Keiko Otsuka, Pioneer of Onna-Zeme
Henri Oltramare (1878–1953) was a renowned photographer from Geneva, celebrated for his artistic nudes during the Belle Époque. His work, characterized by exquisite printing and dramatic lighting, balanced art and taboo. Recently, previously unknown Orientalist prints have emerged, enhancing his legacy and importance in early fetish photography. Continue reading Hentri Oltramare
In 1949, a mysterious model posed for Mr. Steinberg in Newcastle upon Tyne, capturing avant-garde images never collected. Although linked to a local photography shop, Steinberg’s identity remains unknown. The photos, showcasing stylish bondage, emerged in 2010, blending elegance with themes of power and surrender amid post-war Britain’s fashion landscape. Continue reading Glamour, Mystery, and the Birth of Stylish Bondage
Marian Wawrzeniecki (c. 1863–1943) was a Polish painter, archaeologist, and art historian who melded the ancient with the erotic. His work, inspired by Slavic mythology, features themes of desire and mortality. His unique blend of pagan dominance and sensuality prefigures modern BDSM art, leaving a lasting legacy of profound emotional truth. Continue reading Marian Wawrzeniecki
Paul Prött (c. 1880–1945), a German artist, transformed personal tragedy into a powerful voice in Weimar erotica. His works, influenced by his WWI experiences, melded commercial design with BDSM themes. Prött’s stark black-and-white pieces, featuring raw power dynamics, anticipated later kink aesthetics, making his originals highly sought after. Continue reading Paul Prött
Chéri Hérouard (1881–1961), as Herric, turned 1920s–1930s Paris into a chic spanking playground. His La Vie Parisienne illustrations blend Art Deco elegance, theatrical flair, and mischievous humor, elevating corseted damsels and stern governesses into high-society BDSM spectacles. Continue reading Cheri Herouard
Jeandel was a bourgeois of a quiet French province. He was an educated man, aspiring artist, regional archeology enthusiast with Catholic convenience, and married to a much younger wife.
So far nothing points in the direction of fetish photography, but then there was this notorious photo album. Continue reading Charles-François Jeandel
Tetsuzo Tsukamoto (active 1948–1975) – Japanese fetish photographer whose stark, rope-centric images in Kitan Club and the ultra-rare Utsukushiki Imashime (1953) helped codify the visual language of postwar shibari. Continue reading Tetsuzo Tsukamoto
Marcel Meys (1886-1972) was a significant figure in post-war European photography, known for exploring themes of fetishism and feminine allure. Operating discreetly in Brussels during the 1950s and 1960s, his carefully composed images depict elegance, restraint, and desire. Meys’ legacy resonates with contemporary artists, emphasizing subtlety over sensationalism. Continue reading Marcel Meys
Seiu Ito (1882–1961) is recognized as the father of modern kinbaku, blending Edo-period elements with eroticism in bondage art. Despite facing censorship and losing much of his work in WWII, he influenced contemporary BDSM culture through his innovative techniques, illustrated life, and artistic contributions that captured the spirit of his time. Continue reading Seiu Ito
A stag reel or stag party film is an erotic, often explicitly pornographic, film reel produced from the 1900s to the early 1980s. The term stag refers to single men (“to go stag” = “to go alone”). Some pornographic shorts made in the 1930s even had a fictitious “Stag Films” company logo showing the head of a male deer. These “blue movies” were originally shown in brothels, … Continue reading Fetish Stag Films
