Dimensions
133 x 200 x 24mm
These cards were sold under the table often at kiosks or street vendors in Paris, and then secreted away in men's drawers. They were often traded or shown among groups of friends, in rituals that would be precursors to the stag parties when men would view smoker or blue movies in years to come. They provide a fascinating insight into the mores of the time, revealing the flip side to the buttoned-up Victorian and Edwardian eras.
They are a precursor to the erotica and pornography that would explode in the later twentieth century. Some early film actresses appeared in the cards, while other models were famous prostitutes or courtesans of the time.Algerian and other North African women occasionally appear, signs of the first influx of peoples from France's colonies.
