I recently managed to lay my hands on a copy of Health & Efficiency (2009) by Jerónimo López Ramírez, better known as Dr. Lakra. It’s a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of vintage nudist culture and Mexican folk art. The book takes its name from the iconic British Continue Reading
Event: Jean Sporle in conversation
Thursday 27 March 2025 at 7.00pm (90 mins approx.). Doors open at 6.30pm.Click here for information about how to buy tickets. The Sohemian Society presents Soho’s Golden Age of Glamour Step back onto the cobbled streets of 1950s Soho, where foreign-run restaurants, cafés and delicatessens gave Londoners an aromatic flavour Continue Reading
Arthur Ferrier and Blighty Magazine
Blighty magazine was an important part of British pin-up history, evolving from wartime morale-booster to a popular post-war weekly. Arthur Ferrier‘s pin-up cartoons were a popular feature, appearing alongside photographs of showgirls and starlets including Pamela Green, who appeared in such features as Ooh-La-La!. Blighty – an affectionate nickname for Continue Reading
Slippery When Wet
Some wit once quipped, when asked if he liked bathing beauties, “I don’t know; I’ve never bathed any.” If you can relate, this photo of Erna taking a shower by Eva Grant might offer some consolation. Accidentally walking in on a beautiful girl in the bathtub may be a cliché Continue Reading
Size Matters: Zoltán Glass’s Giant Props
It makes a change posting about Zoltán Glass instead of his brother Stephen. Zoltán ran one of the biggest and busiest studios around, working with pretty much every ad agency in England. With his amazing facilities, he could be indulgent when it came to specially built indoor sets and oversized Continue Reading
Arthur Ferrier’s Pin-up Parade
I’m excited to announce that the Kickstarter project I’m involved in launches on 12th November. Pin-up Parade is a limited-edition three-volume box set that offers an in-depth look at the work of Arthur Ferrier. Arthur Ferrier was a Scottish illustrator based in London, famed for his pin-up cartoons and comic Continue Reading
Lyn Shaw: Naked Beauty to Italian Film Star
Lyn Shaw wasn’t just a pretty face—she was a force of nature. Born in 1936 in London, this exotic olive-skinned beauty with a sultry voice and a figure that seemed made for the camera quickly became one of the most iconic faces of England’s glamour scene in the 1950s. From Continue Reading
William Welby’s Nudist Trilogy
I am positively thrilled to share the news of our latest release – or rather, re-releases – a trilogy of works by the renowned English authority on nudism, William Welby. Originally published in the 1930s, these books are now available again with brand-new illustrations by the photographer Stephen Glass, who Continue Reading
When Ferrier met Roye: a medium-spanning tribute to the nude
‘Walk in beauty / Vaunt thy rose / Flaunt thy transient loveliness’. So concludes the foreword to Arthur Ferrier’s Lovelies, a true pin-up curio and portrait of two erotic masters at the top of their game. Note the use of the plural ‘masters’, for this is not solely a Ferrier Continue Reading
Nudes in Colour
When designing the covers for the William Welby books Naked and Unashamed, The Naked Truth about Nudism, and It’s Only Natural, I had the opportunity to colourize some black-and-white photographs by Stephen Glass. The results exceeded my expectations and inspired me to create an additional volume in the Stephen Glass Continue Reading