September Morn, Paul Émile Chabas, 1911
Isn't it a lovely picture of a lady? In fact, this painting was very controversial...
In 1912, at the Paris Salon, Paul Chabas was awarded a medal for his painting September Morn. In May 1913, the manager of Braun and Company's store on West Forty-sixth Street in New York City displayed a copy of this innocent act in the window. Anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock came to the store and ordered the painting removed. He said: This is not an image suitable for boys and girls. The manager refused to remove the painting and kept it on display for two weeks until he realized that the crowd gathering in front of the window was preventing customers from entering the store. Millions of copies were sold and the paintinh became a symbol of new freedom. [The Century of ..., J. R. Peterson, 1999]
The reproductions were on various products: cigar bands, postcards, bottle openers, statuettes and candy boxes. The model was also popular as a tattoo. Moreover, September morn was the first act used in calendars [2].
Inspired by the commercial success of this painting, displays of images of naked women became increasingly common. Writing in 1957, Bob Considine considered September Morn the most controversial painting in United States history. [3]
You can read the entire well-written story >here<
