Thread by @DigiVictorian

If anybody out there still believes that the Victorians weren't interested in sex, allow me to present...

'PEEPING TOM' MAGAZINE!
(c. 1850)

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They opened the first issue with a portrait of Lady Godiva — whose story features the original Peeping Tom — and an address to their readers, outlining their intention to "peep into every hole and corner where a 'thing or two' of a spicy nature is to be learnt." /2

I love the opening editorials of a new paper, and this one is an absolute corker. They always proclaim such lofty and noble ambitions. Needless to say, all that peeping will undertaken strictly for the 'benefit of society'! /3

Best of all, they launched the paper with a joke competition offering a prize of ONE HUNDRED POUNDS! In modern terms, that's worth over £80,000.

There is no mention of this competition in the 26th issue. /4

They maintained the pretence of running a joke competition and occasionally critiqued readers' submissions in their correspondence column (more on this later). At late as issue 17, they were still insisting that the prize was legit! /5

Thoughts and prayers to Walter Wag, whose comedy career was cut mercilessly short. /6

Sorry, this was meant to be a thread about sex, and I got distracted by a joke competition again. /7

The illustrations on the front page of Peeping Tom magazine certainly lived up to the magazine's name... /8

Subtle.

The covers of the first few issues of Peeping Tom magazine really leant into the title... /10

But my favourite peeper is this lady from issue 17.
/11

Textbook technique. /12

The paper featured a *lot* of images of men sneaking glimpses up women's skirts. /13

Other images spun fantasies out of situations in which an eagle-eyed gent might briefly spy an exposed leg. /14

This was a Victorian magazine so, needless to say, these sexy scenarios often had to be accompanied by a pun. /15

When the paper ran out of things to peep at, they switched to printing sexually-changed scenarios packed with visual innuendo. What could this POSSIBLY represent?! /16

OR THIS?!

/17

There are also some vaguely satirical images in Peeping Tom magazine (c. 1850), like this cartoon depicting the contrasting evenings of an 'abandoned' husband and his wife.
/18

As well as encouraging Victorian men to peek up women's skirts, the paper also glamorised 'witty' street harassment.

'dilly' = slang term for penis

/19

A much-needed palate cleanser:

https://twitter.com/DigiVictorian/status/839438691588321281?s=20

If you think you've seen the creepiest images that Peeping Tom magazine had to offer, think again...
(c.1850)
/21

The paper's favourite scenarios featured lovers caught in flagrante when a spouse arrived home early. There are a *lot* of images of young men being hastily bundled into wardrobes!
/22

'The Progress of Crime' — a two-part story, printed across different issues of Peeping Tom magazine. A wife enjoys matrimonial harmony, until... she is villainously wooed by The Spoiler!

/24

very much enjoying the reaction of the 'prying maid'

I wasn't kidding about the paper's insistence on inserting puns into sex scenes.
/26

As it's title suggests, Peeping Tom magazine privileged the male gaze. But, in its defence (?!), it did credit women with having sexual desire and agency of their own. Here, a frustrated wife leaves her snoring husband to have fun with a gentleman on the stairs!

/27

And plenty of the paper's images depicted scenes of consensual sex/romance. (Though in this image I guess *we*, the readers, are encouraged to be the voyeristic Peeping Tom)
/28

I'll return to share some of Peeping Tom magazine's textual content another time. For now, my considered academic opinion of the Victorians basically boils down to

In the meantime, check out this old thread about Victorian leg fetishists:

https://twitter.com/DigiVictorian/status/1023875688577880065?s=20

And this old thread featuring quotes from Victorian erotica:

https://twitter.com/DigiVictorian/status/1283767361770848259?s=20