A history of English sexual morals / by Ivan Bloch ; translated by William H. Forstern.

  • Iwan Bloch
Date:
1936
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A history of English sexual morals / by Ivan Bloch ; translated by William H. Forstern. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    663/700 (page 633)
    these obscene drawings were sold freely to both men and ipmen, married and unmarried, high and low. Aretino had subsequently added a further four to his xteen sonnets and the same number of new drawings were so made. Later still, a total of thirty-six ' venereal motions' ere collected. In the seventeenth century all the obscene untings and drawings were confiscated and destroyed, early all Marc Antonio's etchings disappeared. The last m copies were discovered at the storming of the Bastille the year 1789. Aretino's drawings were probably introduced into England uring the sixteenth century. At all events, it is certain that ^productions of them were made at Oxford in the year 1674. [umphrey Prideaux, in a letter to John Ellis dated 24th Janu- ry 1674, wrote: £ There is often something to tell about the >ress. You would hardly guess that it was used for printing aretino's figures. I assure you we would have obtained an dition of them if the whole thing had not been destroyed last jght. The gentlemen of All Souls had made copper-plates f them and used our Press to make copies. They chose for ,he work the hour of 4 p.m., because the Dean never ame back after that hour. Yesterday, however, being fery busy, he came after four, when the work had already begun. You can just imagine how he took it when he found for what purpose his Press was being used. He confiscated the copper-plates and the copies already made, and threat- ened to expel the owners, and I think they would deserve it if they were members of any other college than All Souls, but there, I will allow them to be virtuous that are bawdy only in pictures.' Nevertheless, before the Dean discovered the matter sixty of the reproductions had already gone out, and were only gathered in later and destroyed by the Dean (John Fell of Christ Church). [633]