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
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
Rudolf Franz Lehnert (1878–1948) was a photographer known for his romanticized portrayals of North African women. He co-founded Lehnert & Landrock, a studio that thrived on artistic postcard production. Critics label his work as ethnocentric. Lehnert’s legacy endures through surviving glass plates, valued by collectors and historians alike. Continue reading Rudolf Franz Lehnert
Orientalism and BDSM: A Fusion of Fantasy and Power In art history, literature, and cultural studies, Orientalism describes how Western writers, designers, and artists imitated or depicted aspects of the ‘Eastern’ world—spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. This lens was steeped in romance and mysticism, projecting power, sensuality, and exoticism onto these cultures. Edward Saïd’s groundbreaking book Orientalism (1978) revealed how this Western … Continue reading Mystical Power Plays
