This painting was first published as half of the cover for Mademoiselle De Maupin by Theophile Gautier (1953)
A Rake’s Search for a Perfect Bed-Mate!
Its second publication, in its present state after minor alterations (the man coming from behind the curtain is gone), was for the novel, Adam and Two Eves by Anonymous (1956)
Unnatural Affection — Or Perverted Hate? The Young Widow Had to Choose Between Them…
A Novel That Speaks Out Boldly On A Taboo Subject
From the back:
In The Grip Of Perversity
Often whispered about—but rarely spoken of aloud—the startling theme of this story concerns Carroll, a pretty young widow. She is taken into the household of a friendly couple, only to find that her caresses are sought not only by the husband—but by his wife … Should warm, lovely Carroll be condemned for yielding both to the love of a married man, and the equally ardent embraces of a voluptuous though twisted woman? The answer is not simple. True, Carroll responds to their needs, yet it is a haunted, tortured experience . . . despite its warped delights, its moments of almost unearthly bliss. Perhaps she is more to be pitied than condemned. For the whole point of this bitterly true novel is that pretty Carroll is the seduced rather than the seducer—the sinned against, rather than the sinner … entirely too attractive for her own good.
Out of her own experience, the anonymous author tears the curtain from one of the gravest threats to modern social morality—the strange love practices trapping unwary girls today, particularly in our larger cities!
Thanks for posting these images.