The History of Pornography

Descriptions of sex are as old as sex itself. There can be little doubt that talking about sex has been around as long as talking, that writing about sex has been around as long as writing, and that pictures of sex have been around as long as pictures. In this sense it is odd that historical treatments of pornography turn out to be historical treatments of the regulation, governmental or otherwise, of pornography. To understand the phenomenon of pornography it is necessary to look at the history of the phenomenon itself, prior to or at least distinct from the investigation of the practice of restricting it. Some works on the history of sexual behavior, eroticism, or erotic art help to serve this goal, but the history of pornography still remains to be written. Commissioning independent historical research was far beyond our mandate, our budget, and our time constraints, yet we do not wish to ignore history entirely. We feel it appropriate to offer the briefest overview here, but we urge as well that more comprehensive historical study be undertaken.

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