Delving into the demon-populated porn of Eugéne Lepoittevin.
The devil is in the details, it’s been said. And in some cases, those demon-possessed details can be pretty sexy.
I was recently introduced to the work of 19th century French illustrator Eugéne Lepoittevin by a somewhat coquettish erotica collector dubbed Lady Fanny Woodcock, who explained that Lepoittevin’s 1830 album of 12 lithographic plates known collectively as the Charges et Décharges Diaboliques was one of the most celebrated books of its kind before it was banned in France in 1845. (Similarly, the collection was confiscated by U.S. Customs in 1951, before being released to the Kinsey Institute years later following a court battle.)
I was initially skeptical. Normally, when somebody raves about some antiquated smut that, over the centuries, has matured into respectable erotica, I tend to roll my eyes a little. Yet, in Bawdy Tales and Trifles of Devilries for Ladies and Gentlemen of Experience, surrounded by a sundry of fabulously filthy ditties, Lepoittevin’s work is unashamedly porn, and gloriously so. Delving into Lepoittevin’s sex-infused illustrations, I found myself feeling like a bemused Eddie Valiant from Who Framed Roger Rabbit standing in the middle of some X-rated Toontown.
For me, the true highlight of Lepoittevin’s collection has to be his “Devil Porn.”
