This enchanting handmade portfolio from the mid-1950s represents almost every gay man of the period’s fantasies, one-on-ones, orgies, multicoloured, you name it and it’s here. It has clearly been much-loved, saved, folded, put up with Blutack and taken down again; it’s rather a miracle that it has survived intact.

It comes from Germany, and a few translations are in order:
     Morgenstunde hat Gold in Munde (The morning hour has gold on its lips)
     Möchtest du auch so gefiche worden? Wen dem Neger … o ja! … und gleich nach bei dann auch von dir! (Do you want to be caught like that too? When that black man … oh yes! And also maybe straight afterwards with you!)
     Na, wird er nu reingehn? Er müss!! (Well, will he go in now? He must!!)
     Was sich zusammen fickt, das soll der mensch nicht trennen (Whoever fucks one another shouldn’t be kept apart)

The quality of the drawing and colouring is of a high standard, so it’s likely that they were made by an art-trained hand. It is rather touching that in two of the orgy scenes the drawings’s owner has found it necessary to number the participants, presumably to make sure he was correct in his impression that quite so many men were involved.

We are very grateful to Hans-Jürgen Döpp for these images; Hans-Jürgen, the compiler of many books on erotic art, curates the Venusberg online gallery and bookshop which you can find here.