#651 - Amateur Bondage Vol 1 Irving Klaw Belier

Amateur Bondage, Volume 1,
first sold as individual photo prints
by Irving Klaw, 1949 to 1956;
published by Bélier Press, Inc., in 1978
re-published in ebook format by arrangement
with Bélier Press, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

optimized for ebook viewing

The following information is found in the Bélier Press volume, and was obtained from one of Mr. Klaw’s former employees:

The negatives were purchased outright by Mr. Klaw for between $1.00 and $5.00 each, except for the AM series. The photographer of the AM series sold prints, which Mr. Klaw copied. In most cases, the retail price of the merchandise was 40¢ each. Other than by purchasing prints or negatives, Mr. Klaw paid no compensation to photographers or models. Mr. Klaw had no interest in or knowledge of bondage or fetishism; his role was that of merchant.

The E-book
Currently, bondage enthusiasts can visit the local Bondage Supply Shoppe or a website, and choose an apparatus that suits personal fancy. In the 1950s, hobbyists visited the lumberyard and built contraptions that fit their preferences and their rooms.

In more than 250 pictures, photographers expose their bondage fantasies in basements, living rooms, bedrooms, garages (with doors on hinges) and outdoors. The limbs of good looking women are bound to pipes, planks, dowels, tables, chairs, trees, and beds with leather straps and lots of rope. A few pictures show handcuffs and a couple chains. Most scenes picture but a single damsel in restraint.

Many photos present homemade structures of wood, to which women are tied. Some of the ties are simple. In conjunction with wood frames and platforms, some rope and strap bindings have symmetrical arrangements that suggest webs.

Most of the young ladies dress in bra and pantie. Others are shown in dresses, skirts, blouses, an animal-print bikini, a negligee, a raincoat and rubber attire. About half are barefoot. Others wear shoes with three or four-inch heels or boots and, for the few pictures taken outside, flats. Perhaps the best fetish feature of these pictures is the proliferation of post-WWII full-fashioned nylons, held in place by four-strap garter belts. While some are blindfolded, many are gagged with handkerchiefs, scarves, tape, ball/dowel assemblies, and surprising leather devices.

The ebook positions each picture on its own page. I adjusted the brightness and contrast of photos and retouched specks. The photos are clear but a few have soft edges.

The settings show domestic fabrics, appliances and furniture that may remind you of your grandmother’s house or apartment. One basement picture has photographic equipment in the background. Collectively, these photos allow a peek into the imagination of mid-century men with photography skills who persuaded women they knew to pose in their underwear while tied up. The Amateur Bondage ebook serves as pleasant domestic nostalgia with strong elements of erotic discipline.

One optimized ebook, delivered by download from your 30th Street Graphics account.