French Postcard photography is a style of art photography of a suggestive and even provocative nature. Though the subjects of French Postcard photography are usually completely or mostly unclothed, that is not a requirement. The initial appearance of picture postcards (and the enthusiasm with which the new medium was embraced) raised some legal issues that can be seen as precursors to later controversies over the internet. Picture postcards allowed and encouraged many individuals to send images across national borders, and the legal availability of a postcard image in one country did not guarantee that the card would be considered "proper" in the destination country, or in the intermediate countries that the card would have to pass through. Some countries refused to handle postcards containing references or images of completely or mostly unclothed persons. Instead, these images were marketed in a monthly magazine called "La Beaute" that targeted artists looking for poses. Each issue contained 75 images which could be ordered by mail, in the form of postcards, hand-tinted or sepia toned. Street dealers, tobacco shops, and a variety of other vendors bought the photographs for resale to American tourists. Credit: Wikipedia


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