Their history, method of creation, and purpose are largely a matter of speculation. They originate from some time in the 19th century and are French. They were created by only a handful (perhaps 2 or 3) artists. It seems they were photographed from small clay dioramas, none of which have survived. They were presented as opaque stereo-photographs and transparent rear-projection tissues, some hand colored (as above) some a rich sepia. The mystery surrounding their origins was likely intentional in that there content, humorous and bawdy and dealing almost exclusively with satan, hell, and the dead, would likely be seen as heretical. The present thinking is that they were produced as social satire on the regime of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte who, as Napoleon III, was Emperor of France from 1852 to 1870. The relative anonymity of the creators and mystery of their origins would serve as protection against imprisonment and other dungeon-related unpleasantness. See below for a few scant examples and links to more complete resources.
Diableries
the beauty and general super coolness that is this artform is making be giddy. it also begs for me to mention how very glad i am that you are back in action. i missed your contributions to my brain-space.
I know for a fact that the second image (“Conference par Mlle. Satan”) was taken at Lilith Fair circa 1996. Note the advertisements for “Eccentricities of the Toilet”, “Emancipation of Vice”, and “Augmentation of the Chignon,” which is an abomination since a woman’s chignon is best appreciated as Goddess made it. The performer on stage went off her meds just before, and got the best reviews of her career. They say rock ‘n’ roll eats its young.
I must say, Jaime, having you blogging again is like a second puberty for me (even better because this time I’m not in borstal!) Here’s to the master coolhunter.
p.s. How did Satan come to have a dead horse for a doctor?!?!
Poor “Satan Malade”! Get well soon!
For some reason these, especially the hand-coloured ones, are reminding me of 1980s MTV.
It seems that there is more than the usual fixation on the underworld since your return. Is this significant?
quite rich and unbearably charming in a twisted way. In a day when “anything” is possible in the digital realm, there’s still something to be said about the naturally inherent qualities found in film. And yes, digital can reproduce such effects, but it’s a tip of the cap to the power of techniques from yesteryear.