Here is a rather sweet illustration, from
French artist Paul Avril, of two young ladies enjoying each other's
company. Perhaps they are scared of the
stormy weather, given there is a rather violent flash of lightning and an
ominous looking sky outside, and are comforting each other. Beautiful work on the drapery.
Avril was born Édouard-Henri Avril in
Algiers in 1849. He studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris in the
eighteen seventies. He illustrated both
conventional novels and what the French called galante literature which were
privately published erotic novels. He
died in 1928.
This example comes from a 1909 edition
of just 310 copies of the 1741 novel Histoire du Saturnin Portier du Chartreux
by Gervaise de Latouche, which is a story about illicit love between monks and
nuns. According to the original caption, the lady on the right is feeling
"her pleasure mount by degrees".
Avril was one of the greatest erotic illustrators of all time and I will feature more of his work soon.
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