The real thing

12th February 2026

Today’s new artist is the groundbreaking Swede Anders Zorn, who in the 1880s and 90s led the way in painting and etching real naked women in real settings rather than endless Dianas and Venuses. Daring and scandalous at the time, we can now appreciate his skill and honesty. See Zorn’s work now by clicking here.

Very little French dressing

10th February 2026

Another almost forgotten French illustrator is today’s new artist, Maurice Leroy, who produced artwork for more than twenty titles during the 1930s and 40s including several erotic classics like Le Bon Plaisir and Chansons de Bilitis. See a great selection of his work now by clicking here.

What sexy fun!

8th February 2026

Claes Oldenburg is best known for his massive, playful pop art sculptures, but he demonstrated the same wit and imagination in sketchbooks full of hilarious, brilliantly executed erotic drawings. You can read all about Claes Oldenburg by clicking here and see his work here.

Chéri

6th February 2026

Colette’s semi-autobiographical novel Chéri, about difficult liaisons, published in 1920, was illustrated twenty years later by one of our favourite artists, Léon Courbouleix. You can see all the illustrations by clicking here – it might inspire you to read the book!

An update on the 700 Artists Appeal

5th February 2026

Well folks – we (well, you) did it! Our 700 Artists Appeal has raised £795.56, which goes a long way towards the £1000 or so it costs every year in hosting and domain registration for the honesterotica website. And we’ve made the draw for the winner of the print, who lives in Manchester, England – their framed print (from Amandine Doré’s Florilége) is on the way.
     If you were planning to donate but haven’t quite got round to it, you still can with a PayPal payment to info@honesterotica.com (full details by clicking here). We need you as much as you need us!
     THANK YOU ALL!

All about Eve

4th February 2026

Today’s new artist is the American Ruth Marten, with her sensuous reworkings of 1920s photographs of the Parisian Folies Bergère dancers, imagining their true dreams and aspirations. Read about Ruth Marten and her work now by clicking here and see the All About Eve portfolio by clicking here.

In her praise

1st February 2026

One of Aristide Maillol’s early commissions, in 1939, was to illustrate Paul Verlaine’s Chansons pour Elle, poems about women, passion and desire. His spare, stylish woodcuts are a perfect complement to Verlaine, and you can see them all now by clicking here.

O yes or O no?

30th January 2026

The Story of O includes multiple scenes of bondage, domination and sexual exploitation – yet it was written by a woman, and is now illustrated by another, today’s new artist Natalie Frank. Porn fantasy or liberatory choice? You decide about O by clicking here for the artist and here for the portfolio.

Toujours amours

28th January 2026

André Dignimont is one of our favourite illustrators. and today we bring you one of his last commissions, for Paul Léautaud’s candid autobiography of youthful Parisian love in the early 1900s. See all the images from Amours now by clicking here.

Can we have some more please …

26th January 2026

Many thanks to the 23 followers who have generously boosted the 700 Artists Appeal to £536, but nothing more has appeared for the last couple of days. Unlike so many sites, honesterotica is and always will be free, but our costs increase every year, and though we love you very much our pockets are not deep! So this is a final request to help us reach the £700 target. Donations, however small (or large!) by PayPal to info@honesterotica.com, for full details click here.

27th January update   Another £78 from five lovely followers in the last day, so only £80 to go to reach the £700 target and the prize draw. Don’t take us for granted, donate now …

(painting showing appropriate anguish is Eugène Delacroix, The Death of Sardanapalus, 1827)