Revenge
with Tina Davis, Janelle Fishman, Sarabeth Stroller, Dorota Wójcik, Julie Ordon, Diana Stoessel, Minerva Portillo, Lenka Batkova, Sheila Ruschell, Micki Olin, Svenja Parotat, Nicole Laliberté, Travis Marshall, & Karim Bekka
Published by Twin Palms Publishers, 2002; eight by ten inches, casebound, one hundred ninety tritone plates, two hundred eighteen pages, $40, ISBN 1-931885-14-1
See also Revenge A+C gallery.
See also Black Garters and Riding Crops interview with photos.
See also Staley+Wise "Revenge" Exhibition.
See also Pobeda Gallery "Revenge" Exhibition.
See also Marato Gallery "Revenge" Exhibition.
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text from http://www.bordercrossingsmag.com/recent
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"I love all the old pictures--of spanking and Bettie Page and corsets.
But you can't do spanking in fashion, so I wanted to do a project
where I could really let go and get girls who also love those things.
I thought it would be even more sexy when there was a story to go
with it, so it wasn't that difficult to write a little storyboard.
"I had chapters, so there were 10 drawings in total. Each girl had a
character and I used the storyboard to explain the story to the girls.
But there was still freedom to play." -- Ellen Von Unwerth
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from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
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The Players (scanned by WM)
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Tina Davis
as the Baroness
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Lenka Batkova
as Laurence a Maid
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Svenja Parotat
as Lulu a Maid
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Dorota Wójcik
as Veronique a Maid
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Janelle Fishman
as Emily
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Sarabeth Stroller
as Isabelle
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Julie Ordon
as Marie-Louise
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Diana Stroessel
as Françoise
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Minerva Portillo
as Charlotte
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Sheila Ruschell
as Mimi
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Micki Olin
as Ivy
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Nicole Laliberté
as Sarah
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Travis Mashall
as Eric the Chauffer
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Karim Bekka
as the Stable Boy
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Preface
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Although Mme. Vidor survived the cable-car crash that devastated the family dynasty,
her husband, his ex, her brother and his wife did not. As a consequence of this she
is left sole guardian to the latter's offspring. In addition to her own trio of
Françoise, Charlotte, and Isabelle, her household now includes Emily, Marie-Louise,
and Ivy from her husband's previous marriage, and her brother's two daughters, Mimi
and Sarah.
Weakened by shock, Mme. Vidor finds herself unable to exercise the parental discipline
now lacking in the girls' lives. She reluctantly lets the care of her unruly charges
slip into the hands of her stepsister, the Baroness, a woman the girls hardly know and
about whom diabolical rumours abound.
The Baroness, for her part, is eager to take charge of the girls. Her long-held
dislike of her stepsister sharpens her desire to discipline and control the new arrivals.
Indeed, she would hardly have agreed to the arrangement had she not had an appalling
ulterior motive. Her late husband's debts, guaranteed against the estate, have meant
severe cuts in staff, and she feels sure her stepsister could not object to the
girls--how shall it be put--'earning their keep.'
The girls' vivid recollections of their aunt's splendid masqued balls--though they
had been too young to attend them--influence their packing. Casting off woollens
and sensible shoes they fill their trunks to overflowing with taffeta gowns,
stiletto heels, garter belts, stockings and lace....
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Chapter 1: The Arrival
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As extracts from the Vidor Diaries will show, such memories as had blossomed
in their girlish hearts withered quickly once under the dilapidated yet
imposing edifice of the chateau. "...it is not as gay as I recall", writes
Mimi, "but at least the chauffer is very handsome and I caught him staring
at my legs as he helped me from the auto..."
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from www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid (left); Tina Davis as the Baroness
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily; Travis Marshall as Eric the Chauffer
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Tina Davis as the Baroness, Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid, Janelle Fishman as Emily, & Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
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Chapter 2: The Garden
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All morning as the girls shed their clothes in the heat, Marie Louise complains
of prying eyes through the trees. Mimi suggests it is the men folk of the village,
news of their arrival having no doubt spread quickly through the district. Incensed,
their modesty already forsaken, they embark on an erotic medley of lewd lesbian
acts by which they hope to give them more than that for which they
bargained.
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Janelle Fishman as Emily; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Diana Stroessel as Françoise; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.thefashionspot.com/
(larger version is available here, here, here, & here)
from Winter 2004 AMSP Bulletin (PDF)
(larger version is available here & here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Janelle Fishman as Emily; Diana Stroessel as Françoise
from 100 cigarettes
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Svenja Parotat as Lulu a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
from 100 cigarettes
(larger version is available here & here)
Diana Stroessel as Françoise
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here, here, here, here, & here)
Diana Stroessel as Françoise; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Diana Stroessel as Françoise; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://art4.ru/
(larger version is available here & here)
Diana Stroessel as Françoise; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://seenoevil.tumblr.com
(larger version is available here, here, here, & here)
Diana Stroessel as Françoise; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Svenja Parotat as Lulu a Maid
from http://www.thefashionspot.com/
(larger version of left side available here & here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Diana Stroessel as Françoise
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Diana Stroessel as Françoise
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily;
Diana Stoessel as Françoise
from http://www.thefashionspot.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Svenja Parotat as Lulu a Maid; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://sinful-caesar.livejournal.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Svenja Parotat as Lulu a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.wft-forum.com
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily; Diana Stoessel as Françoise
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
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Chapter 3: Baroness's Journal
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Ingenious, the spy holes my ex-husband devised through which to watch the
maids undress. This facility allows me to watch my sweet Veronique at her
toilette. Ah Veronique, you are so obedient, so unquestioning, and yet, do
you know my maltreatment of you is all can offer as love? Though I yearn
to tell you this, I cannot. Moreover, when I call you to my attendance,
I know this very inability will provoke a more than usual amount of my
displeasure.
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Tina Davis as The Baronness
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Tina Davis as The Baronness; Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid; Tina Davis as The Baronness
from http://www.wft-forum.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
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Chapter 4: Capture
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It is not hard for Eric the Chauffeur to lure the girls into captivity, he is indeed
aided in tying them to the old flogging posts by the girls' own lack of inhibitions;
convincing them it is all just a game in which if they would only humour him he will
favour one or all with something more than a kiss.
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Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle;
Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer;
& Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Tina Davis as The Baroness; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle;
Janelle Fishman as Emily; Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Tina Davis as The Baroness; Janelle Fishman as Emily;
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Tina Davis as The Baroness; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Svenja Parotat as Lulu a Maid
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
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Chapter 5: Degradation Anyone?
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Extract from the secret journal of Emily:
It has all been a horrible trick, our invitation here was one into slavery.
The beastly chauffeur, whose attentions I can't believe I encouraged,
smirked as the Baroness ripped off our clothes. Now we are forced to work
in shameful underwear and very high heels that make a dash for the road
impossible. Also the locals are all inbred and to throw oneself on their
mercy wearing only froufrou bra and panties is to invite disaster. One
would rather stay here and be whipped!
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Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Diana Stroessel as Françoise;
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily; Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Tina Davis as the Baroness
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily; Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer; Tina Davis as the Baroness
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
scan by WM
(larger version is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily;
Tina Davis as the Baroness
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
scan by WM
(larger version is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
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Chapter 6: The Education of Marie-Louise Part 1
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Extract from the journal of Eric the Chauffeur:
I have chained the one called Marie-Louise to a radiator in a tiny room. The room
is stifling with no window open and to increase her discomfort I have turned up
the radiator full so that in some way its hissing and sharp metallic clicks should
somehow remind her of the sound of my return.
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Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
from http://www.wft-forum.com
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
from 100 cigarettes
(larger version is available here (5MB) & here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
scan by WM
(larger version is available here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
scan by WM
(larger version is available here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here, here, & here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Tina Davis as the Baroness
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Tina Davis as the Baroness
from http://newmodels.free.fr/
(larger version is available here & here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
from http://www.wft-forum.com
(larger version is available here & here)
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Chapter 7: Restraint
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Continued from the Baroness's Journal:
I assembled the girls into the radiator room so that they may witness one-another's
punishments. They do say, do they not, that anticipation of pain is much
worse than pain itself. No doubt when Eric has finished with them they will
be in a position to inform me if this is really so.
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Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.wft-forum.com
(larger version is available here, here, here, & here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Janelle Fishman as Emily; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Diana Stroessel as Françoise; Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise;
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
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Chapter 8: Isabelle
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For her infractions, I am obliged to reduce Isabelle's meals still further. A
saucer of curdled milk in the morning and stale bread for supper. These
victuals will be served on the flags of the scullery where the hounds are
fed. In between times--as she has shown herself useless at even the
simplest domestic chore--it is to be hoped she fairs better this
evening as a foot stool for my guests.
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Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Svenja Parotat as Lulu a Maid
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here; a small version without fold is available here)
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
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Chapter 9: Discipline
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This evening I declared Eric and Laurence might take leave to use the girls
for their own caprices. However, I had sudden misgivings the girls might
manipulate the situation to escape, and was about to change my mind when I
saw the appalling look of lustful intent upon Eric's features... and
I could hardly refuse. Stipulating only that the girls remain tightly
secured throughout their ordeal.
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Diana Stoessel as Françoise
from 100 cigarettes
(larger version is available here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise; Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise; Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise; Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer
from Amazon.com
(larger but cropped version is available here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here)
Diana Stoessel as Françoise; Lenka Batkova as Laurence a Maid
from http://fcsas.blogspot.com/
(larger version is available here & here)
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Chapter 10: The Stable
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From the secret diary of Isabelle:
Since being banished to the outhouses time has taken on a surreal quality. After
our morning chores we are sometimes permitted to doze with the horses. At night,
however we are kept awake by the attentions of the stable boy who floods the
manger with electric light under which we have to "Do things to each other"
as he puts it, in his singularly grubby way.
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Karim Bekka as the Stable Boy
scan by WM
Minerva Portillo as Charlotte; Nicole Laliberté as Sarah
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
Minerva Portillo as Charlotte; Nicole Laliberté as Sarah
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
Nicole Laliberté as Sarah; Minerva Portillo as Charlotte
from eBay auction by sensual-world
Minerva Portillo as Charlotte; Lenka Batkova as Laurence a Maid
scan by WM
Minerva Portillo as Charlotte
scan by WM
Minerva Portillo as Charlotte
from Art+Commerce
Minerva Portillo as Charlotte
from Twin Palms Publishers
Nicole Laliberté as Sarah
scan by WM
Nicole Laliberté as Sarah; Lenka Batkova as Laurence a Maid
from eBay auction by sensual-world
Nicole Laliberté as Sarah
from http://art4.ru/
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
Nicole Laliberté as Sarah
from Art+Commerce
Nicole Laliberté as Sarah
scan by WM
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Chapter 11: The Education of Marie-Louise Part 2
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The Baroness spends all her days with Veronique, leaving Eric and I free hand
to discipline the girls. On my part, I must confess, the perverse pleasure I
derive from punishing the one called Marie-Louise. Even if she has committed
no irregularity and invokes my pity with her tears or her cries, I simply
employ the gag or the blindfold to indicate that these matters are of no
consequence to my whim.
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Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise & Svenja Parotat as Lulu a Maid
from http://www.wft-forum.com
(larger version is available here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
from http://www.wft-forum.com
(larger version is available here)
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Lenka Batkova as Laurence a Maid
scan by WM
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Lenka Batkova as Laurence a Maid
scan by WM
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Lenka Batkova as Laurence a Maid
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
from 100 cigarettes
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise
from eBay auction by sensual-world
(larger version is available here)
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Chapter 12: Liberty
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While plying Emily with champagne, Eric himself has passed out. Kept sober,
however, by the dread of Eric's brutal lust, Emily spies the keys slip from
his slumbering grip to rest invitingly in his lap. Spying the opportunity
for escape, she slowly lowers her trembling mouth to Eric's crotch for what
she hopes will be the last time.
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Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer
scan by WM
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle; Janelle Fishman as Emily
scan by WM
Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.artlies.com/
Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer
scan by WM
Janelle Fishman as Emily
from "Black Garters and Riding Crops" at Salon.com
Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://www.stern.de/
Janelle Fishman as Emily
from Art+Commerce
scan by WM
Janelle Fishman as Emily
scan by WM
Janelle Fishman as Emily; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle;
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Diana Stroessel as Françoise
scan by WM
Travis Mashall as Eric the Chauffer; Tina Davis as the Baroness; Lenka Batkova as Laurence a Maid
scan by WM
Julie Ordon as Marie-Louise; Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle;
Janelle Fishman as Emily;Diana Stroessel as Françoise
scan by WM
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Chapter 13: Revenge
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Having liberated themselves from the Chateau, thoughts of flight are
overtaken by a deadly rancour for the many acts they have been forced
to perform at the hands of its hell-born inhabitants. Now having free
use of their hands, they feel the raised welts and wealds scored
across their thighs and buttocks which read like fiery braille to the
touch. These are the hieroglyphs of fate for the Baroness. These are
writings on the wall.
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Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.stern.de/
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from Art+Commerce
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://sinful-caesar.livejournal.com/
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from www.schlagzeilen.com/
(This is a poor quality scan; the image in the book is not as blurry.)
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
Dorota Wójcik as Veronique a Maid
from http://www.fashiontime.ru/anons/5353.html
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Chapter 14: The Tables are Turned
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"Oh, goodness," cries the Baroness, "you surely don't intend to..." "Goodness," cuts
in Charlotte "has nothing to do with it Baroness. You are, as you see, bound by this
rope. The other end of which is attached to the bumper of your Rolls in which we
intend to return to Paris. We would however, like to give you lift as far as the
old stockade on the village green."
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Tina Davis as the Baroness
from http://www.stern.de/
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Chapter 15: Victory
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Having immaculate manners, the
girls write a thank you note.
Dear Aunt, after dealing with your miserable staff, it was such fun to
watch the peasants discover you naked and dishevelled in the stocks.
Though we were at first disappointed that they couldn't read the sign
around your neck asking to be flogged, your constant claims to be
the Baroness finally galvanized them into performing their duty. Do
hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Love Emily, Isabelle, Marie-Louise, Françoise,
Charlotte, Mimi, Ivy and Sarah.
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Micki Olin as Ivy; Janelle Fishman as Emily
from http://nevernews.squarespace.com/
(A 2MB version is available here)
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
Micki Olin as Ivy
from 100 cigarettes
from http://www.photoeye.com/
from 100 cigarettes
|
The following photo does not appear in WM's copy of the book but is clearly part of the shoot.
|
Sarabeth Stroller as Isabelle
from http://serginhoadv.multiply.com/
|
text from Photography-Now:
-
The always provocative Ellen Von Unwerth has created a sadomasochistic
story told in pictures.
Shot entirely in black and white, in Von Unwerth's signature style,
the exhibition is a playful and sexy narrative of sisters sent away
to their aunt's chateau, by their anguished mother, who has just lost
"her husband, his ex, her brother, and his wife" in a cable car crash.
With childhood memories of their aunt's extravagant and luxurious
lifestyle, the girls look forward to the adventure, only to arrive and
face the disappointment of serving to their aunt's -- and her staff's -- twisted
whims. Finally able to free themselves from her clutches, the book ends
with the aunt receiving her just desserts.
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text from Winter 2004 AMSP Bulletin
-
An ASMP member since 1993, Ellen Von Unwerth's sexy aesthetic has been turning heads
for many years. Breaking away from her early days as a circus performer and fashion
model, she now enjoys tremendous acclaim as an editorial and advertising photographer
with a provocative vision and a playful, yet wicked approach.
This hallmark style is masterfully articulated in Revenge, a hardcover photo novella that
transforms a Victorian story line into an unfettered romp in the park. The book was photographed
over three days at an estate on the outskirts of Paris and boasts 190 black and white views.
A bevy of maidens arrive by chauffeured limousine at the Chateau of their guardian, the Baroness.
They flock to the garden where they eat forbidden fruit and frolic in a mud bath. Enter the corsets
and ropes, blindfolds, whips and chains. Lured to captivity by the Baroness and her wicked servants,
they are thus enslaved until, at long last, the girls overtake the keys to the chateau and get their revenge
on the evil Baroness and her staff.
Revenge was released in April 2003 by Twin Palms Publishers, in tandem with exhibitions in New
York, Berlin and Paris. Look for Revenge at your local bookstore or at the publisher’s Web site:
www.twinpalms.com. To see more of Ellen’s commercial work, including a
camera-classic series with pop idol Britney Spears, shot for the New York Times, visit the Web site of
her New York rep Art & Commerce at: www.artandcommerce.com. -- Jill Waterman
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text from http://fotophile.com/reviews/revenge.html
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Deliciously decadent, Ellen Von Unwerth's latest work has all the
trappings of a classic, highly stylized tale of lasciviousness and
a study in form, sexuality and society -- albeit one tucked away
behind the velvet curtain of propriety.
Titillating yet never prurient, "Revenge" depicts the erotic
journeys of three young women who arrive for a respite at a rural
manor. Instead, what follows is a series of sexually charged S&M
scenes of the women as they become entagled with the Baroness
(think "Rocky Horror Picture Show" with a stunning older woman in
the antagonist role), her chauffer and her stable boy.
Each of the women finds herself at the mercy of handcuffs, leather
accoutrements and blindfolds while clad -- barely -- in impeccable
1940s vintage fashions and situated in lavish surroundings.
The book itself, the size and shape of a diary sporting a black
cloth cover, physically resembles a volume that might have been
purloined from the Baroness's own library. Supplemented by the rich
tones of its high-quality printing, the book offers a visual as well
as tactile delight -- a triumph for Twin Palms Publishing, based in
Santa Fe, N.M.
For Von Unwerth, a fashion photographer whose work graces the pages
of Vogue and Vanity Fair, the work represents a honing of her craft
of merging desire with setting. When Von Unwerth does it well, as she
does here, each element is inextricable from the other.
Unexpected and as far from cliché as nearly any artist working today,
"Revenge" stands out as a bar that won't be easy to clear for any who
follow in her footsteps. -- Bruno J. Navarro
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text from http://www.echopraxia.org/publishing/review_book_revenge.htm
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Revenge by Ellen Von Unwerth
Finally, a book about women who end up captive and enslaved, that "isn't graphic or offensive in any way".
Part "The Story of O", part Andrew Blake and vintage erotica, Ellen Von Unwerth
veers even further away from fashion and more towards conceptually innovative
work in this playful, S&M tale. Revenge is one of the most incredibly audacious
works of recent memory, especially when you consider how conservative our culture
has become. The story is as bold as the photographs, and in many ways, as sexy.
Though the viewer is treated to page after page of women wrestling in mud, spankings
and bondage, this isn't as dirty as the material it pays homage to, but it is twice
as fun.
Revenge is the story of a group of women who end up captive and enslaved, but turn
the tables on their captors. The book is almost pocket sized, and is a beautiful black
and white, hardcover collector's dream. This is the thing that coffee tables were meant
for, (but not if you have young children around.) Truth be told, Revenge is pretty
tame, with full nudity on display and some eyebrow raising scenarios, it isn't graphic
or offensive in any way. By contrast, it is actually the nicest fashion meets erotica
study I have seen. It doesn't hurt that Ellen Von Unwerth has a skilled eye and a gift
for capturing perversity in a comfortable and natural setting. She makes taboo subjects
very familiar and creates adult subject matter that has class and style.
Like adult filmmaker Andrew Blake, Von Unwerth focuses on female couplings where there
is a wink and a nod to S&M and bondage, but the underlined exploration is actually on
how beautiful women are. It is difficult to imagine anyone not flipping through Revenge
without a smile. The book replicates the look of vintage erotica, but brings it into the
modern age and declares it OK to enjoy this kind of material. In an era where we have
become so afraid to speak our minds and explore themes outside of the status quo, Revenge
is a welcome tribute to sexuality and freedom. One could say that Revenge doesn't break
any new ground, but that would be ignoring the fact that this isn't welcome subject
matter in your average bookstore, and Ellen Von Unwerth is a woman who isn't afraid to
take risks. Like her previous books, Wicked and Couples, Revenge proves that Ellen Von
Unwerth plays by her own rules and creates art that is outside of the conventions. Revenge
ends with the famous words, "To be continued..." Let's hope so. Buy the book! -- Terry Osterhout, September 2003
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text from January/February 2003 American Photo
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Von Unwerth's Revenge
Fashion photographer Ellen Von Unwerth's newest book, Revenge (Twin Palms Press, $60),
is an X-rated sitcom: A trio of young women arrive at the estate of a baroness
expecting a relaxing weekend, only to find that the baroness, her chauffeur, and her
stable hand have in mind some other activities--games that involve rope, whips, and
lingerie. Everybody Loves Raymond it ain't. But this tawdry visual tale--told only
with 190 still images--is infused with Von Unwerth's typical brand of erotic humor.
Her fashion images have always been distinguished by a sense of spontaneity--rather than
punching out stiff or fussy images, she creates a rich mise-en-scène in which her
models assume roles and act out. In Revenge, Von Unwerth takes it all a step
further, showing off her strong sense of storytelling.--David Schonauer
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text from http://www.photoeye.com/catalogues/2003Spring.pdf
(Spring 2003 Photo-eye Booklist)
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Ellen Von Unwerth is known for her sexy, unrestrained approach to fashion
and photography, as witnessed in Couples and the out-of-print Snaps, also
from Twin Palms. In Revenge, her first book in several years, she is the director
on the set of a lusty, sadomasochistic tale. Three young ladies are invited to the estate
of a voluptuous baroness for a weekend of relaxation. The baroness, however, has something
quite different in mind--a little bit of this and a little bit of that (add leather and
bondage, and remove most clothing).
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text from http://www.womynsware.com/WWIpress/spanker.pdf
(an archived PDF of September 23, 2003 Vancouver Sun)
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Fashion's dalliance with elements of S&M chic has been around a very
long while. Helmut Newton, whose sadomasochistic shots of models
wearing saddles dominated the bondage flavoured fashion shots of
the early 1980s, has been joined by blond überphotog Ellen Von
Unwerth and her new book Revenge (Twin Palms 2003). Chock full of
saucy misses in frothy knickers getting their sweet cheeks scored with
the lash, this coffee-table book references classics of kink like The
Story of O or 120 Days of Sodom. The usual set pieces and props are
all there -- a gaggle of easily corrupted innocents, a wicked Baroness,
black garters, riding crops and an age-old story of crime and
punishment.
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text from http://nevernews.squarespace.com/
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The joy of discovering this book in a Barnes and Noble in Salt Lake City, Utah was overwhelming--such a
find (even in a fairly large bookstore) in Utah is to be savored.
Having not heard of either Von Unwerth nor Twin Palms publishers at the time, what captivated me about
the book wasn't the content of the photos, but the concept of the story told through them.
See, the book is unrelentingly sexual--each photo a glorious black and white erotic treat--and deeply
kinky; the whole idea of domineering women explored to such shocking detail that one isn't, at first,
aroused--one is, at first, so helplessly in love with each photo that sex isn't the first thought;
Unwerth captivates before she turns the tables.
And the story? We're first introduced to a (absent) widow (Mme. Vidor), whose his ex, her brother
and his wife, were killed in a tragic cable-car crash. Both the character's names and the style of
the photography instantly transport us to an age now passed--that of 'estates' and familial
connections with people such as the Baroness, who, with some spite, takes custody of her step-sister's
children and stepchildren (you see, Mme. Vidor is too overwrought with grief that such a task as
raising eight girls [eight voluptuous girls] would be too hard for her). The Baroness, of course, has
ulterior motive; she seeks a jealous form of revenge; on top of this, the girls will, somewhat
dastardly written, 'earn their keep'.
The story, from this opener, is told in photos, each chapter briefly prefaced by a tiny excerpt from
one journal or another.
We're held privy to the Baroness' love for one of her few remaining servants, the stunning maid
Veronique. We understand the torture the girls are going through via the journals of Eric, the
Chauffeur (who torments them) and the secret journal of Emily, one of the girls.
Of course, they're not forced into lurid sexual slavery at first; rather, the Baroness and her
servants allow them the illusion of an exciting new life on the grounds of the vast estate--they
tease the villagers, who spy at them through the bushes, with slight Sapphic play turned
mud-wrestling; the torture begins after that--starting with the first harsh blast of the hose that
Laurence (the other maid) turns on them to clean them, and rising and rising in degradation until,
finally, the girls escape and enact their revenge.
Each of Unwerth's photos are remarkable--the form of each character, along with the tone of a
bygone era and semi-fictional setting, moving us closer and closer to the outcome via a
fever-pitch of page turning; not once does a photo go unnoticed, and never once are we left
bored enough to put the book down.
Our only let down is, of course, the lack of character definition--which would be a hard thing to
do, since the book is barely tied together by text; we, instead, soak up the story from each
image--the Baroness' delighted expression as Veronique laces her corset, the unsure look in the
Stable Boy's eyes, the hint of pain or shame on each girl's face; in the arousal of both our
sexual tastes and our curiosity, Unwerth unleashes our creativity and allows us to instill the
moments with meaning.
Twin Palms has, with this book, released a treasure trove of erotic art. The book itself is a
looker, too--hardbound and solid, it fits seamlessly among your higher-end books (you know,
the ones you keep on your top shelf and don't allow the mass-market paperbacks to mingle with?)
with a classic, simple black spine.
I'm really just in love with the whole project.
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text from eBay auction by Sensual-World
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Ellen Von Unwerth's newest work is a wild and sexy romp. Long known for
her provocative work in the fashion world, here she is the director on
the set, creating a sadomasochistic story, told solely in photographs,
which delves into sexual obsession. Revenge begins with a trio of young
women arriving at the Baroness's estate expecting a relaxing weekend.
The Baroness, her chauffeur, and her stablehand soon have them involved
in something quite different. . . .
The story is not for the timid. The images are powerful, provocative
and sensual. Shot in a French chateau and set in the 20's or 30's flapper
era, Von Unwerth has taken some of the worlds most beautiful fashion
models and placed them in a story, similar in subject matter to The Story of O.
There are over 200 pages of 12 stunning women dressed in every kind of sexy
lingerie including corsets, stiletto high heels, see through panties, bustier,
stockings, garters, and Peek-A-Boo bra's. Then there are the more non standard
items including masks, blindfolds, maids outfits, boots, collars, and a
manacle here and there. In many images the women are topless or bare
breasted. In others they are either completely nude or bottomless. There
are also some upskirt pictures as well photographs of other sexually themed
"games".
There is probably no other photographer in the business with the exception
of maybe Helmut Newton who could get such beautiful women to do such "kinky"
photos and to have them turn out so beautiful.
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