Pornography

:This article is about pornography, material created with the purpose of sexual arousal. For alternate uses, see pornography (disambiguation).

History

Pornography has an extensive history. Sexual artwork is among the oldest known to exist; explicit photographs date to the beginning of photography and among the earliest films are works depicting nudity and explicit sex.

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Nude human beings and sexual activities are depicted in some paleolithic art (e.g. Venus Figurines); however, it is not certain that the purpose was sexual arousal, as the images may have had instead a spiritual significance. There are numerous pornographic paintings on the walls of ruined Roman buildings in Pompeii. One notable example is a brothel in which the various sexual services are advertised in murals above each door. In Pompeii you can also see phalli and testicles engraved in the sidewalks, pointing the way to the prostitution and entertainment district, to aid visitors in finding their way (see Erotic art in Pompeii). Archaeologists in Germany reported in April 2005 that they had found what they believe is a 7,200-year-old pornographic scene depicting a male figurine bending over a female figurine in a manner suggestive of sexual intercourse. The male figure has been named Adonis von Zschernitz. http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1451509,00.html

Related Topics:
Paleolithic - Roman - Pompeii - Prostitution - Erotic art in Pompeii - Germany

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Pornographic comic books known as Tijuana bibles began appearing in the U.S. in the 1920s.

Related Topics:
Tijuana bible - 1920s

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In the second half of the 20th century, pornography in the United States evolved from the so-called "men's magazines" such as Playboy and Modern Man of the 1950s. These magazines featured nude or semi-nude women, sometimes apparently engaging in the act of masturbation, although their genitals or pubic hair were not actually displayed. By the late 1960s, however, these magazines, which now included Penthouse, began to evolve into more explicit displays, eventually, by the 1990s, featuring sexual penetration, lesbianism and homosexuality, group sex, masturbation, and fetishes.

Related Topics:
20th century - Playboy - Modern Man - 1950s - Masturbation - 1960s - Penthouse - 1990s - Lesbianism - Homosexuality - Group sex - Fetishes

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The first explicitly pornographic film with a plot that received a general theatrical release in the U.S. is generally considered to be Mona (also known as Mona the Virgin Nymph), a 59-minute 1970 feature by Bill Osco and Howard Ziehm, who went on to create the relatively high-budget hardcore/softcore (depending on the release) cult film Flesh Gordon.

Related Topics:
Mona - 1970 - Bill Osco - Howard Ziehm - Cult film - Flesh Gordon

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The 1971 film The Boys in the Sand represented a number of pornographic "firsts." It was the first generally available gay pornographic movie. It was the first porn film to include onscreen credits for its cast and crew. It was the first porn film to parody the title of a mainstream movie (in this case, The Boys in the Band). And it is the only X-rated pornographic film to be reviewed by The New York Times.

Related Topics:
The Boys in the Sand - X-rated - The New York Times

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