In the 17th and 18th centuries, erotic etchings were produced in limited editions and circulated among aristocrats and intellectuals. Artists like Agostino Carracci and later Félicien Rops created works that ranged from the satirical to the transgressive. These images were rarely displayed publicly; they were part of a private visual culture that combined erotic enjoyment with aesthetic contemplation. Erotic art has long been entangled with class, secrecy, and connoisseurship. The vintage media of erotic etchings reflect this reality.
The tradition of collecting these prints began in Europe during the Renaissance and continued through the 19th century. Collectors would acquire works by famous artists such as Goya, Manet, Degas, Picasso, Klimt, and Munch. They were collected for their beauty, historical significance, and social cachet. However, many of these collections also contained explicit imagery that was considered scandalous at the time.
The most well-known collector of erotic etchings was Sir Francis Seymour Haden, who amassed an impressive collection between 1825 and 1910. He donated his collection to the British Museum in London where it remains today. His collection includes works by leading French artists such as Gustave Doré, Paul Gavarni, and Honoré Daumier. It also features illustrations from the novels of Charles Baudelaire and Théophile Gautier.
Seymour Haden's taste in art reflected his own views on sexuality and gender roles. He believed that women should be submissive to men and that marriage was a form of enslavement. As a result, he avoided works that depicted relationships between equals or showed strong female characters. This attitude is evident in his selection of prints from Fragonard's The Swing (1767), which portrays a man spying on two lovers through a window.
In contrast to Seymour Haden, another famous vintage media enthusiast was Albertine Gandolfi. She began her collection in the late 18th century with a focus on erotic art from France and Italy. Her collection included work by Jacques Callot, Jean de Bonneville, François Boucher, and Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Gandolfi's collection featured scenes of sensual intimacy and playfulness, including the iconic Diana and Endymion (c. 1647) by Nicolas Poussin.
Despite their different tastes, both Seymour Haden and Gandolfi were motivated by a desire to own rare and beautiful objects. They also shared a fascination with the social status associated with collecting vintage media. Erotic etchings were a way for them to assert their power over others and prove their refined taste.
Overall, these collections reflect the complex relationship between sex, power, and class in European society. Vintage media has long been used as a tool to explore and express sexual desires while preserving an air of mystery and exclusivity. The artworks themselves are a testament to this dynamic, offering a glimpse into the world of aristocratic pleasure-seekers who enjoyed indulging their senses in private.