ORDER Ebook FOR IPAD OR TABLET or Paperback book HERE
Mystery African American Pinup Model
She appears on the cover of "Tawny Models" in the early 1950s, a smut digest pretending to be "figure studies for artists" to avoid censors. She appears in 4" x 5" photo sets sold from the back of magazines...and was photographed at the same sessions which produced the most famous pinup model of all, Bettie Page.
Fifty years later, she appears on the cover of my book which could tell the story of every African-American model trying to find a place in front of the camera during the second half of the 20th century. She likely faced racism, prejudice...and as was the case for all nude models during the time, she may have faced arrest and prosecution. Today no one knows who this young African-American model and pioneer was.
"Tawny Models" though undated, was published between 1950 and 1955 with a Miami, Florida address, but that could be a mail drop or a ruse, as nearly identical booklets appear with New York addresses at the same time. Nude photographs were sold under the counter and by mail at the time, and arrests were common. "Tawny Models" was part of a large group of picture only "Art Study" booklets by a largely unknown photographer going under the pseudonym of Marno. "Marno the Photographer" actually, but he had other names too.
Likewise, the color picture here (color only because the photographer tinted the original, a one of a kind picture touched up by hand) was taken around 1955. The undated "stag picture" with the other models would have been sold as a "strip-set" of 8 depicting clothes being removed. There is no documentation available.
Light-skinned, short natural hair...the photographs, while cropped here for discretion, could have been taken then or now. Just one of the thousands of models who worked for five bucks a session, now lost, and always anonymous. Something of a rebel in a field which seldom took note of African-American beauty. This model who today would be called "a fresh face" would likely be well into her 70s, but since the racket was tough she might not be around at all.
Tawny Models Camera Digest circa 1950 Photographs by "Marno" and Hand-Tinted photograph by Rudolph Rossi circa 1955, Collection Jim Linderman
Follow Vintage Sleaze on Facebook too!
As we grow to 2000 Facebook followers (and 2 million hits) I thought to restate the purpose and scope of Vintage Sleaze with the new year. I wrote the following when starting the site. Thanks all! Share with friends!
Vintage Sleaze the daily blog discovers forgotten artists of the past who worked in the somewhat dicey but hilarious early smut market. Colorful, funny and often touching, writer, collector (and Grammy™ nominee)Jim Linderman writes the text using the vintage cartoon gag, limp-core smut and risque novelty collection of Victor Minx as a starting point for examinations into the sexy and sexist days of girlie magazines, gag digests, back page scams and sideshow midnight rambles. Early strippers, models, illustrators, artists, photographers, mob-connected publishers hire amphetamine driven writers (many posing under pseudonyms) and all mingle together in an amazing orgy of the funny and often fetishistic follies of the fifties. Linderman is able to balance the line between the profane and the profound easily, as the backyard erotica of the time was tame compared to today. Tease and trash your ancestors refused to admit existed (but bought in huge piles anyway.) From Tijuana Bibles and inept snapshot salesmen to party toys and risque postcards, the site shows it all with delicate and affectionate respect and humor. A entire generation of artistic smut was rightly eliminated by the women’s movement but there was a glimmer of merit in the dark corners. Linderman aims to find it and makes no apologies, and in fact many of the followers of his site are women. Like a reporter, he digs it up and shares without judging. He frequently receives mail from relatives of those he profiles and most seem happy to have had the work of their ancestors found again and appreciated. Vintage Sleaze runs daily until he runs out!
There is a Saturday night, Sunday morning logic to Linderman’s madness…his first project was the Grammy™ nominated Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography, a collection of antique photographs and gospel recordings of the religious ceremony (with Dust to Digital and the original photographs donated to a major museum) and Camera Club Girls which published over 100 never before seen hand-painted photographs of Bettie Page and her friends taken by previously unknown New York amateur photographer Rudolph Rossi. With a talent for finding the obscure and bringing it back, Vintage Sleaze shows the possibility of the blog as an art form while bringing attention to an entire generation of lost and neglected artists who worked in the underbelly of culture.
Rudolph Rossi Camera Club Photographs circa 1950
The photographs of Rudolph Rossi, which date to the early 1950s, are having their first public showing November 4, 2011 through February at the Au Boudoir Art Space in Santa Fe. Rossi participated in the Camera Club meetings in NYC in the 1950s (along with notables such as Weegee) where he photographed Bettie Page and other models in the Nude at a time when this was illegal. Rossi delevoped his own work, then hand-painted each black and white photo to give them the illusion of color. Some 125 photographs, nearly all 8 x 10 (the three shown here are 11 x 14) and all are unique, hand-tinted works over 50 years old.
Camera Club Girls Exhibit REVIEW Santa Fe Reporter
A thoughtful and well-written review of the Camera Club Girls exhibit in Santa Fe by art critic Matthew Irwin in the Santa Fe Reporter
EXCERPT: "An exhibition of Rossi’s work in a women’s boutique kills the notion that art exists in traditional locations (coffeehouses included) with traditional intentions. If we take pleasure viewing a woman naked, does her image become too lewd to accept as art? Do we re-view Rossi’s work hanging at Au Boudoir as art, rather than pornography, because each piece is an original, hand-painted by the artist?"
FULL TEXT HERE
EXCERPT: "An exhibition of Rossi’s work in a women’s boutique kills the notion that art exists in traditional locations (coffeehouses included) with traditional intentions. If we take pleasure viewing a woman naked, does her image become too lewd to accept as art? Do we re-view Rossi’s work hanging at Au Boudoir as art, rather than pornography, because each piece is an original, hand-painted by the artist?"
FULL TEXT HERE
Original 8 x 10 Hand-painted Photograph c. 1955 Rudolph Rossi
Available for purchase at the first public exhibition of the Camera Club Photographs of Rudolph Rossi
See Information Below.
Camera Club Girls History now an Ebook on Ipad for $5.99
CAMERA CLUB GIRLS: BETTIE PAGE, HER FRIENDS and the WORK OF RUDOLPH ROSSI is now available as a E-BOOK for the IPAD Download HERE Now $5.99
Altfoto Review of Rudolph Rossi Camera Club Girls The Beginnings of Modern Erotic Photography by Andres Rey
The Beginnings of Modern Erotic Photography by Andres Rey Altfoto October 2011 Translated from the Spanish Original article HERE
Original Rossi Photographs for sale and Exhibit at Au Boudoir
An opportunity to see just a few of the original, one of a kind Rudolph Rossi Camera Club Girls photographs before they go on sale at the Au Boudoir gallery in Santa Fe. Follow link HERE to see a portion of the exhibit.
Camera Club Girls the Book article from Bettie Page Movie Blog
"What was it like to be a member of the mythic Concorde Camera Club, following Cass Carr and snapping photos of nude models at a time when such a hobby could land you in prison? The amazing blog Camera Club Girls explores the work of Rudolph Rossi, one such photographer. The photos, while hardly the glossy, highly choreographed and produced pin-ups to which we've become accustomed, give a clear vibe of these slightly scandalous shoots. Here’’s what the site has to say about Rossi: Camera Club Girls: The work of Rudolph Rossi.
"The extraordinary hand-painted photographs of Rudolph Rossi. Rossi was an informal member of the New York City Concorde Camera Club in the repressive 1950′’s. For a ten dollar fee, he photographed Bettie Page and a plethora of interracial models, then later meticulously hand-painted the photographs creating the illusion of color photography. An exceptional body of work by a previously unknown and unrecognized photographer and erotic artist from a time when such activity was taboo."
The blogger, Jim Linderman, appears to operate other blogs that (call me crazy) may interest Bettie fans… blogs with names like “Vintage Sleaze” for instance."
LINK HERE to BETTIE PAGE MOVIE BLOG
Black Pin Up African American Pin Ups Secret of the Black Pin Up
The FIRST BOOK EVER created on the history of the Black Pin Up! Intrigued by the question "Why aren't there any black pin up girls" on an internet message board, writer Jim Linderman decided to find out. With 100 rare vintage photographs all showing women of color in magazines not seen for over 50 years, Linderman not only reveals many answers to the question, he reveals a long gone part of America and African-American culture. Secret of the Black Pin Up takes us from "tease" to "sleaze" and reveals a world never before seen. Using rare photos and publications, the untold story of African-American women in the soft-core pornography world from 1940 to date. Yes, there WERE black pin ups, and they are found here.
The Original Pin Up Art of Rudolph Rossi
The extraordinary Hand-Painted Original Photographs of Bettie Page and nude models of the 1950s taken by Rudolph Rossi lay hidden for over 50 years. Now, for the first time, over 100 have been published in Camera Club Girls by Jim Linderman. 114 pages, 35 pages of text and 180 pictures, the book tells the story of the informal groups of early camera enthusiasts in New York City who paid ten dollars each to photograph naked women, including Bettie Page, in dingy studios and outdoor excursions. As much the history of early erotic photography and Times Square smut as it is the story of the exceptional personal vision of an artist, master photographer and painter which has not been told until now. The photographic find of the decade, and an amazing story which combines passion, painting, photography and early porno in a tale never told.
187 Photographs, 114 Pages Hardcover or Softcover. By Jim Linderman and Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books
Times Square Smut the book Eric Stanton Gene Bilbrew Edward Mishkin and the Rare Digests
Some cover illustrations from the forthcoming book, TIMES SQUARE SMUT : THE WORK OF EUGENE BILBREW AND THE BOOKS OF EDWARD MISHKIN which will be ready by the end of the summer.
Not seen for over 50 years, and even in the 1950s not seen by many, the books are digest-sized smut published by mobster Eddie Mishkin (and associates) and illustrated by Eric Stanton and Eugene Bilbrew in the mid 1950s to early 1960s. Mishkin (and others) were arrested and prosecuted for selling these books from his Times Square Bookshops in a case which went all the way to the Supreme Court.
Many of the books which will be shown for the first time were confiscated by authorities and appear in police and government documents (also to be published) revealing the material which was used to formulate obscenity standards. A rare collection, some volumes which exist in only a very few copies, which together have never been collected and shown. Also included will be a recently discovered volume in the Nights of Horror series with illustrations by Joe Shuster (of Superman fame) which has not been seen since publication in the 1950s.
Work is progressing well...if you are interested in reserving a copy, let me know. I haven't decided whether this will be a limited edition yet, but it will be a FULL COLOR BOOK of well over 150 pages with hundreds of titles illustrated, scarce advertisements and more...all documenting a period and era of the New York City publishing world long gone.
Stay tuned to Vintage Sleaze the Blog for updates, and the new TIMES SQUARE SMUT site will also keep you informed. Thanks!
THIS IS NUMBER FOURTEEN IN THE SERIES 'THE RARE DIGESTS' ON VINTAGE SLEAZE THE BLOG. Small essays on hopelessly obscure and scarce soft-core publications of the 1950s. Enjoy them All!
DULL TOOL DIM BULB / VINTAGE SLEAZE BOOKS HERE
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BILBREW BOOK New Updated Revised Enlarged Edition! 2011
Eugene Bilbrew, Justin Kent, Eddie Mishkin and the Mob
The NEW BOOK by Jim Linderman and Vintage Sleaze COMING SOON!
Follow Dull Tool Dim Bulb / Best Unusual Photography PostsAn expanded, revised edition of "The Dangerous Years" this is the TRUE story of an African-American artist, a writer and a member of organized crime. Three individuals meet in New York City in the 1950s and change the world. 200 Pages with dozens of Illustrations. Available Summer 2011. Stay Tuned to VINTAGE SLEAZE the BLOG HERE.
Rudolph Rossi Black and White Photograph c. 1955
The only known original photograph taken by Rudolph Rossi which he did not tint by hand. Hand-tinting not only gave his work (fewer than 200 are known) the unusual and curious color, one can see here he may also used the painted colors to hide other photographers jostling for position!
Untitled by Rudolph Rossi, circa 1955 Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books HERE
Rudolph Rossi The Large Works (Hand tinted Nude Photographs c. 1950)
Camera Club Member Rudolph Rossi created a dozen hand-painted nude photographs in the large 11 x 14 size. Some are shown here in detail.
Rudolph Rossi Untitled (Nudes) circa 1950 collection Jim Linderman
BOOK STORE LINK HERE
Free Preview of Camera Club Girls the Book
Make sure to click and enlarge (bottom of screen right) Order information at Blurb.com
Buying Bettie Page! From the New Book Smut by Mail: Vintage Graphics from the Golden Age of Obscenity
Two pages from the New Book SMUT BY MAIL: VINTAGE GRAPHICS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF OBSCENITY which collects hundred of ORIGINAL vintage ads, brochures and come-ons from the 1950s and 1960s. Quite a Collection! Here, in a two page spread from the book, some fellow has recorded his order for Bettie Page slides and a film!
SEE MORE OF THE NEW BOOK HERE!
New Book By the Author of Camera Club Girls The Thousand Dollar Book Smut and Censorship
Excerpt Thousand Dollar Book Obscenity Bust in Milwaukee 1957 Bilbrew and Smut Art THE THOUSAND DOLLAR BOOK: SMUT AND THE MILWAUKEE ARREST FOR OBSCENITY 1957 by Jim Linderman
Writer and collector Jim Linderman from the noted blog Dull Tool Dim Bulb finds yet another forgotten story. In 1957 Milwaukee, hapless bookstore owner Samuel R. Hochman is arrested and convicted of obscenity attempting to stock his shelves with sleazy digest books produced by criminal elements, hack writers using fake names and the startling illustrations of Eugene Bilbrew and Eric Stanton. With Court transcripts, vintage ads, scarce mail order catalogs and more, the unfortunate story is told here for the first time. INCLUDES a COMPLETE reprint of the ENTIRE BOOK for Which Hochman was convicted, THE SEX FACTORY by H. Tennob. Not seen for over 50 years, the book contains numerous Bilbrew illustrations which have never been reprinted. Of interest to legal scholars, book collectors and anyone who enjoys a true story with spicy pictures!
EXCERPT
On the afternoon of May 13, 1957, Federal agents walked through the door of Samuel R. Hochman's "Avenue Novelty Shop" located at 733 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. Federal agents of the FBI that is. Hochman sold books and other sundries in his store which was located in what was at the time an entertainment district and somewhat dicey neighborhood. Mr. Hochman had just received a shipment of books from the ABC Freight company he had ordered for his inventory, but had not even had time to open the box. After signing the delivery receipt, he left the carton on the floor of his shop. Three FBI agents already knew what was in the box. After introducing themselves, one being agent Julian Clark, they told Hochman that he was receiving an obscene book titled "The Sex Factory". They asked if they could open the box and Hochman gave his permission. Inside were 101 books. In addition to The Sex Factory (and Virgins Come High, which will figure later) there were some twenty titles including Silk Stockings,' 'Lash,' 'Flossie,' 'Spankee,' 'Straps,' 'Sadist,' 'Woman and Her Master,' ' 'Celesti,' 'Wheel of Violence,' 'Come-on Girl,' 'Justine,' 'French Pornographer,' 'History of Prostitution,' 'Bandit in High Heels,' 'Mistress in Satin,' 'Exotique #13,' 'Exotique #14,' and 'Bubbles Darlene.' It appears Hochman ordered four copies of each title and a few extras of The Sex Factory.
(For those of you who are interested, "Bubbles Darlene" was an exotic dancer, though she described herself once to Nashville police as a "strip teaser." Bubbles real name was Virginia Lachimia, a platinum blond with considerable talents originally from Minneapolis. She studied as a ballet dancer, but found burlesque paid more. However, she did more than dance. In 1955, while performing her act, someone broke into her hotel room and swiped her entire suitcase of risque photographs "including some nudes taken in Cuba" and she was forced to take out a classified ad in the local newspaper offering $500 for their safe return. She was "S.O.L." and they were never found.) Bubbles even claimed once to have danced with a 22 piece orchestra. Today, Bubbles is recognized as one of the classic burlesque dancers, and an often seen photograph of her posing in a hat made of ram's horns makes Lady Gaga look like a thrift store model.
The agents rustled through the box on the floor and retrieved two they either found most offensive, or were the titles they were sent to retrieve. The Sex Factory and another book by the same author, Virgins Come High. Both were written by one H. Tennob, a pseudonym. The Sex Factory was illustrated with line drawings by Eugene Bilbrew, and Virgins Come High was illustrated by Eric Stanton. The agents confiscated the entire box (though at a later date returned over half of them) and arrested the bookseller, charging him with violation of 18 U.S.C.A 1462, which among other things declares it illegal to accept through a common carrier any "obscene, lewd, lascivious, or filthy book, pamphlet, picture...of indecent character."
Milwaukee, Wisconsin may have "sin" in the state name, but the city was solid middle-of-the-road America. The Milwaukee Braves would win the world series a few months after Hochman was arrested. Despite the glut of beer (and beer guts) it produces, Milwaukee maintains strict vigilance against sleaze. 20 years after Hochman's book bust, comedian George Carlin was arrested in the city for his "7 words" routine. Despite being only an hour north of Chicago, Milwaukee has maintained a comparatively innocent profile, low on crime, low on mobsters and low on porn, although a recent study did find 46% of Milwaukee residents masturbate at work, not that it was too scientific. I am sure there is no relationship, but for interesting context, a former nun took an axe to a bikini wearing snow sculpture in Milwaukee in 1987. In 2005, a small group of zealots made a failed attempt to ban the display of thongs at a Milwaukee Victoria's Secret. On the other hand, cartoonist Denis Kitchen, founder of Kitchen Sink Press who worked out of Milwaukee says he never felt any pressure there, though he did found the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund anyway. I guess censorship can rear whenever and wherever. Milwaukee is probably no better or worse than any other city, and thankfully virtually all first amendment rights as it pertains to the printed word are protected these days, be it in Wisconsin or New York City.
Wal-Mart does the de-facto censoring these days, in Milwaukee and everywhere else. Of course, this will not matter for long as the entire format "book" is on the way out like the compact discs they refused to carry. All the action is on the web, and the law, by definition a long, reasoned procedure, is so far behind technology and the times that regulating it is impossible.
Where did the box of smut originate? It seems a salesman from the Max Padell book company in New York City had paid a visit to the Avenue Novelty Shop earlier in the year with sample book covers to show and a price list to study. Padell was a well-established publisher and vendor who had skirted the law before. Among their own titles were (and are today... moldy copies exist in every used bookstore in the country) "Fact about Nudism" from way back in 1935, "From Dance Hall to White Slavery" in 1943 and "Strange Loves: A Study in Sexual Abnormalities" in 1952. Their bread and butter was a ton of crappy rip-offs like "How to be a Detective' "How to Play Dice and Win and numerous magic trick and self-defense books. They ran mail-order advertisements in the 1940s which indicated they stocked hundreds of different titles, and listed the company address at 830 Broadway, New York City. Most were mere pamphlets, but they had also published serious writers like Kenneth Patchen...
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