If you combined all my interests into a Venn diagram, these NSFW Stanhopes would be at the center. Clever, niche, sexy, weird, miniature, with the joy of discovery built in. I've been collecting them for years - ever since I learned they existed - and was delighted to discover that some had p*rn inside. When I offered those for sale (instead of keeping them for myself) they disappeared instantly, proving that everyone is as titillated by antique butts, boobs and body parts as I am.
Invented in the 19th century, Stanhope lenses were originally used for innocent souvenir views, religious imagery, and portraits. But humans are human. And their potential for discreetly viewing forbidden images was quickly recognized. By the late Victorian era, pornographic Stanhopes offered a way to carry explicit photographs in plain sight, invisible to almost everyone else.
Metal pig pendants like these date from 1880-1900, and were usually made to hold questionable material - sometimes political jokes, sometimes erotic images. To see what's inside, look up the pig's rear end. The Kinsey Institute of Sexual Research houses at least one spicy pig in their extensive collection of erotic Stanhopes.
These five porcine babes charms erotic photographs of men AND women. Hanging from 18" contemporary gold chains, they'll let you time travel to the Victorian era, where people were not nearly as prudish as they would have liked us to believe. We have always been freaks.
Age: 1880-1900
Material: metal/bronze charms, glass Stanhope lens, gold fill jump ring, 18" contemporary 14k gold chain.
Size: chain is 18", monocles are approximately 1" longInvented in the 19th century, Stanhope lenses were originally used for innocent souvenir views, religious imagery, and portraits. But humans are human, and their potential for discreetly viewing