Bawdy Bisques and Naughty Novelties: Let Me Entertain You. . . .

As the Victorian era passed into the Edwardian and Roaring Twenties, a market developed for bisque and china bawdy novelties and figurines of women in revealing outfits. Although now most of these figurines seem more coy and cute than ribald and risque, in their time they symbolized the casting off of the perceived restraints of the Victorian era.

These little lovelies included bathing beauties, who came clad in swimsuits of real lace or in stylish painted beach wear, as well as mermaids, harem ladies, and nudies, who were meant to wear nothing more than an engaging smile. Also produced were flippers, innocent appearing figurines who reveal a bawdy secret when flipped over, and squirters, figurines that were meant to squirt water out of an appropriate orifice.

Most were manufactured in Germany from the late 1800s through the 1930s, often showing remarkable artistry and imagination, with Japan entering the market during World War I.

Friday, June 29, 2018

Let Me Entertain You. . . .

Let me make you smile

Let me do a few tricks

Some old and then some new tricks

I'm very versatile

And if you're real good

I'll make you feel good

I'd want your spirits to climb

So let me entertain you

We'll have a real good time,

Yes sir!

We'll have...

A real good time!

Gypsy, 1959, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim

This immodest model by Carl Schneider looks like a showgirl in a burlesque show, languorously lifting away the straps of her elaborate, if exiguous, top. As Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous American burlesque entertainer and "ecdysiast" who put the tease in striptease, once said, "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing slowly…very slowly."

The same model of half doll as pictured in the Schneider catalogue. My lady is 3.25 inches tall and incised "15547." The example in the catalog is denoted as "15545," which could be due to a difference in size or finish. This model came in several sizes and was also offered with a golden brassiere.

Bawdy Bisques and Naughty Novelties

Postcard Image

Friday, June 29, 2018

Let Me Entertain You. . . .

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