Boudoir

photo… EN
Introduction

Boudoir photography
History
Appeal
Styles Connected to: Hollywood Lexington Herald-Leader The Hu ngton Post

See also
References From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boudoir photography, or sensual photography, is a photographic style featuring intimate, sensual, romantic, and
sometimes erotic images of its subjects in a photographic studio, bedroom or private dressing room
environment,[citation needed] primarily intended for the private enjoyment of the subject and his or her romantic partners.[1] It
is distinct from glamour and art nude photography in that it is usually more suggestive rather than explicit in its
approach to nudity and sexuality, features subjects who do not regularly model, and produces images that are not
intended to be seen by a wide audience, but rather to remain under the control of the subject.[2][3]

History
Nude or sexualized female forms have been a theme of photography since as early as 1840.[4] Early erotic photography,
such as French postcards from the late 19th and early 20th century, pin-up girls, and Hollywood culture have in uenced
the visual style of boudoir photography.[5] Notable early boudoir photographers include Albert Arthur Allen, who
photographed larger women against ornate backgrounds.[6]

Boudoir During WWII

After the dissolution of the Prohibition Era in 1933 and the beginning of World War II, the US Government began using
propaganda to encourage young men to ght for their country. With the knowledge that “sex sells”, the military began
using pin-up girls on their recruiting posters with slogans like “She’s worth ghting for” or “Come home to your girl a
hero”.[7] This made the pin-up girl one of the most recognizable forms of boudoir and paved the way for modern boudoir
by normalizing the female form in advertising.[7]

Known for her “million dollar legs”, actress Betty Grable was the icon of pin-up girls in the 1930s and '40s. One of her
most famous portraits was distributed to over ve million troops during WWII. Not only was she known as one of the
rst women to take out insurance on a body part, she was also known for being one of the highest paid female actors in
Hollywood during her time.[7]

Boudoir in the 21st Century

Boudoir photography was popularised in the millennium [clari cation needed] with the arrival of digital photography.[8] It became
popular with women seeking to create a private collection of professional studio portraits. Boudoir photography dates
from the mid-1980s onwards,[9] and is characterized by the empowerment of its female subjects, who now are typically
the photographer's direct clients[10] rather than being hired models.

Appeal
It is common for women to have boudoir photographs of themselves made as a gift to a partner, conventionally on the
occasion of their engagement, marriage,[11] or before an enforced separation such as a military deployment.[12] In the
United Kingdom it became popular for brides-to-be to commission photoshoots as a wedding gift for the groom.[13]
Boudoir photography is also sometimes given as a gift with the intention of re-a rming and encouraging the romance
and sensuality between partners in a long-term relationship.[14]

Increasingly, boudoir photography is seen as something that a person might do purely for their own enjoyment, for the
pleasure and a rmation of seeing themselves as attractive, daring, sensual, and sexually-desirable.[15][16]

2
Styles
Boudoir photography encompasses a range of styles and moods. Named categories of boudoir photography include so-
called "naughty girl", "fun and giggles", and "provocative and sensual", with varying degrees of explicitness and nudity.[17]

Visually the genre is characterized by di use high-key images[18] that atter the appearance of skin, short focal distances,
and shallow depth of eld,[19] which together impart an intimate, "dreamy" mood. Other common styles include a low-
key, deliberately grainy black-and-white, re ecting the in uence of art nudes, early erotic photography, and lm noir.[19]
Also common are poses and lighting setups intended to replicate the mood and appearance of classic pin-up
photographs and paintings.[20]

See also

References

Categories

This page is based on a Wikipedia article written by contributors (read/edit).

Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

Tell your friends about Wikiwand!

Gmail Facebook Twitter Link

Home About Us Press Site Map Terms Of Service Privacy Policy