Before the First World War, postcards were the Twitter of the day. They were used to share personal news, arrange appointments, or pass on messages of love—though thankfully, there was very little of the trolling we all have to endure today. There was also a small but highly profitable cottage industry for erotic postcards which increased dramatically during the War years. This was one way by which governments and generals thought they could keep the boys on the frontline happy by giving them some reason for fighting—saving the sexy young maidens of France from the hairy, uncouth hands of the Hun, and so forth. Millions of such cards were produced by the French during the War, which led to the moniker “French postcards” being applied to all erotic postcards whether they were made in France or not.

After the War, these naughty French postcard were still popular. This popularity offered some young women some independence and an easy way to make a quick franc or three. There is a genuine innocence about these photographs of young women flashing a white thigh above stocking top, or posing nude like a Greek goddesses, or playacting as a saucy French maid, which make them far more erotic than the bare-all, gynecological pictures of today’s cynical world of porn.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The famous muse, singer, nightclub owner, and writer Kiki of Montparnasse.
 
Via WikiCommons, Femineach, Vintage Glam, and Monovisions.
 

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Erotic French postcards from the early 1900s (NSFW)
The gorgeous vintage S&M of trailblazing pornographer Jacques Biederer