bettie page blog

What was it like to be a member of the mythic Concorde Camera Club, following Cass Carr and snapping photos of nude models at a time when such a hobby could land you in prison?

The amazing blog Camera Club Girls explores the work of Rudolph Rossi, one such photographer. The photos, while hardly the glossy, highly choreographed and produced pin-ups to which we've become accustomed, give a clear vibe of these slightly scandalous shoots.

Here''s what the site has to say about Rossi:

Camera Club Girls: The work of Rudolph Rossi
The extraordinary hand-painted photographs of Rudolph Rossi. Rossi was an informal member of the New York City Concorde Camera Club in the repressive 1950''s. For a ten dollar fee, he photographed Bettie Page and a plethora of interracial models, then later meticulously hand-painted the photographs creating the illusion of color photography. An exceptional body of work by a previously unknown and unrecognized photographer and erotic artist from a time when such activity was taboo.

The blogger, Jim Linderman, appears to operate other blogs that (call me crazy) may interest Bettie fans... blogs with names like "Vintage Sleaze" for instance.