Man, oh man!

Anyone who has followed this blog knows that one bathing beauty (or should I say beach beau?) I have been searching for is the male version of the Galluba and Hofmann bather, pictured in this catalog page on the second from the top row at the far left edge. 

The elusive gentleman has finally deigned to join my collection, much to the joy of my bevy of bisque beauties. Here he is in all his male glory (well, not exactly all, as, shall we say, he is in no need of a fig leaf).  Of excellent bisque, he is 4 inches high and 4.5 inches long. He is superbly sculpted, with detailed musculature. Unlike Galluba's bathing belles, who are literally the fairest of the fair, his complexion is a golden tan.

He has strong, handsome male features. With those sultry dark eyes and sleek raven locks, he could pass for a matinee idol of the silent silver screen.

In fact, I think he gives off a bit of a Rudolph Valentino vibe. . . 

A dash of dark shadowing emphasizes his cheekbones.

Under his left thigh he is incised with "80423 P.P." This is the same model number that appears on the catalog page. 

As seen on the catalog page, and in this example from the Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City, originally he wore a black knit tank suit. However, I don't think that I am going to redress him. It seems such a shame of cover up those perfect pecs and amazing abs. . . .

not to mention that bodacious bum!

Speaking of pussyfooting. . .

An update to my maneki neko page features two examples of another unusual variation of the Japanese lucky cat, the "neko ni tako" (cat and octopus). 

Not Pussyfooting Around

Pussyfooting can mean to act cautiously or timidly. Certainly, no one could accuse the Five Barrison Sisters of pussyfooting around in their naughty, bawdy vaudeville acts, although they did show off their pussies--real live pussycats. The five buxom blond siblings in the 1890s entertained Europe and the United States music hall audiences with double-entendres and sexual suggestiveness. In their most famous act, first performed at the Wintergarten in Berlin in 1896, the sisters, clad in long frilly dresses and babyish bonnets, sang about "Mein Klein Katz" (My Little Cat) as they slowly and slyly lifted up their skirts, revealing ten black stocking-clad legs. At the end of the song, the sisters flipped up their skirts, exposing their "pussies," as a rather bewildered-looking live kitten peeked out from the crotch of each of their bloomers. 

This beautiful antique chromolithograph die cut was certainly based on the above publicity photograph of the sisters exposing their pussies. The artist exercised a little license in brightly coloring their costumes, but was otherwise faithful to the photograph. Roughly 7.5 inches tall and wide, there is no mark other than "2000" stamped on the lower right corner. I wonder whether this was a promotional piece for the Barrisons or just another example of a company being "inspired" by the self-proclaimed "wickedest girls in the world," but not enough to actually pay them any royalties.

For the (Water) Birds

My newest article for the online Museum of Aquarium and Pet History.