Lesbiennes is the generic title for a portfolio of lesbian drawings by Mariette Lydis compiled from her recent work at the date it was published. Each of the very few copies of the portfolio known to survive contains a different set of images, and even the publication date is unsure. Jean-Pierre Dutel’s authoritative bibliography of French erotic titles gives the definitive total as ‘25 superb engravings’ in an edition of 81 copies, but a copy sold by Christies in 2006 contained just 23 drawings, ‘one of 77 copies’, and another copy sold by Drouot in 2012 contained just twelve. The assumed date, ‘1926’ written alongside the signature on some of the prints, coincides with her move to Paris, and it is likely that it was access to the booming Parisian market that prompted publication.

The most interesting point about the collection is its subject matter – ‘sapphism’ in the language of its day – and the explicitness of some of the sexual intimacy. We know that Mariette Lydis had several male lovers including the writer Joseph Delteil and the publisher Giuseppe Govone, but while she might not have been an exclusive lesbian she was almost certainly actively bisexual. The images bear all the hallmarks of being drawn from life, and it is hard to imagine that Mariette was not drawn in to the sexual experimentation so rife in the artistic world of mid-1920s Paris.

As you will see, we have included most of the images associated with this portfolio, including the twelve matched engravings from the Drouot set, and five others which have been associated with the title, but that leaves another ten or so which we have not identified. If you can help expand this important portfolio we would love to hear from you.