“Female Nude Reclining on a Divan”
The image of a woman on socks first appeared in 1832, when Eugene Delacroix painted “Female Nude Reclining on a Divan”.
Mysterious and challenging – they are able to whip up the male imagination and agitate the stronger sex to active action, igniting passion and desire.
Artists, sculptors and photographers have created and are creating world masterpieces that amaze millions of people, thanks to a single detail they depict – socks.
The history of socks dates back to the 4th-6th century BC in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Interestingly, the first socks were knitted. The art of creating these unique products was later lost and restored only in the 13th century, and until then socks were made of thin leather or fabric. This “erotic” object became widespread in the 16th century, but then only men could wear it. A turning point in their history was 1589, when the English priest William Lee introduced the knitting loom to the world.
The second important moment in history is the transition of socks from men’s to women’s wardrobe.
In the 19th century, trousers became longer and skirts shorter, and this allowed women to draw attention to their legs (and, accordingly, the stronger sex began to forget about socks). Once they became a female attribute, openwork patterns, colored embroidery, various images, stripes, stripes, sequins, pearls, all sorts of colors appeared on them … Artificial silk was used for production, but for socks only in 1910, competing with cotton and fildeco (twisted cotton yarn for knitwear). It took another 20 years to create the first nylon socks. And only in 1980 did the lycra appear.
BODY COLORS (FROM PINK TO BROWN) COME IN FASHION IN 1920.
This trend is related to sunbathing, introduced by the Americans Sarah and Gerard Murphy. The most popular during this period are the figures of “snake”, “irises”, “bouquets”, “peacock’s tail”. Some of the sock patterns that have been worn by different people over the centuries can indeed be described as true works of art.
In the era of Louis XIV, men wore red and light blue silk socks. The models were decorated with ribbons and cords and were available only to the richest people. In the Baroque and Rococo eras, men wore knee-length white silk socks in addition to shorts. Women in the 18th century wore lace stockings, imitating the Marquis de Pompadour.
The most interesting models from the 70s of the 20th century are the products of the French designer Chantal Thomas. The models from her collection were with imitation corset embroidery, funny inscriptions and interesting contrasting solutions.
The image of a woman on socks first appeared in 1832, when Eugene Delacroix painted “Female Nude Reclining on a Divan”. But the topic of “half-naked” women is not becoming popular.
It was not until the late 19th century that newspapers began to show postcards and photographs of half-naked women. By law, admiration and examination of the female body was allowed only in the circus and the opera. Fortunately for men, the age of the cancan is coming and the dancers are wearing black socks decorated with ribbons and curls.
With the appearance of the first striptease “Nights of Iveta”, artists began to paint women when they put on their socks. Such “obscene” paintings at the time were painted by Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Duchamp: the women in their paintings were on the “border of pornography” or depicted as ladies “free from sin.”
Today, when socks are a part of our lives, their range is huge and their price is quite different. You can trust a particular manufacturer or just experiment.
