As publisher commissions for illustration started to dry up in the mid-1930s, Léon Courbouleix decided to create and illustrate texts of his own, and as far as we know Pour toi, pour moi (For You, For Me) was his first attempt. Both drawings and text are presumably by him, the verses extolling the wonders of lovers’ bodies being standard fare for the time.

The drawings are well-observed and intelligently drawn, showing a young couple enjoying a range of sexual pleasures which would have been both exciting and educational for the 1930s readership.

Pour toi, pour moi was privately published by Courbouleix himself under the ‘Priape Ardent’ (Lively Penis) imprint. Three hundred copies were produced, of which a small number were hand-coloured. Three of these coloured pages are included here.

We are very grateful to our Russian friend Alex for sharing these images.