Tuesday, February 28, 2012

And now for something completely different—the 17th century leg bomb

© Christy K. Robinson
There's nothing new under the sun! 2012 and 1630.
My contribution to the leg-bomb fad.
Look below for The English Gentleman's original image.

Since the Academy Awards presenter, Angelina Jolie, struck a pose with her leg extended from the slit in her designer gown on 26 February, social media are experiencing a “leg bomb.” People are photoshopping Jolie’s bare leg onto Whistler’s Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the Statue of Liberty, Darth Vader, and many other images, and posting them to Twitter, Buzzfeed, Pinterest, and like sites. And now, I've joined the fad!

This sort of pose was very common in the 17th century, albeit the pictures were of men. (The pose was too provocative for female models, even nudes, to strike. Women did not show the inside of their knees or thighs.) However, the male aristocrats and royalty who could afford to have portraits made, seem to have spiked the “leg-bomb” during the 1600s. Charles II of England (1630-1685), often “made a leg” in his portraits, but he wasn’t the first. Check out the images below:

1628--James Hay (Lord Carlisle),
made Lord Proprietor
of Barbados by King Charles I

A Puritan Family, 17th-century woodcut


Louis XIV of France, making a leg

 
The Tric-Trac Players
by Mathieu Le Nain


Charles II of England

 
I like the look of consternation on the lion,
hoping that the angel doesn't lose his scarf in the breeze.


Charles II of England







Charles II of England



Charles II of England






































































The English Gentleman,
a men's fashion circular, 1630.


Link to the The Sun with several funny Jolie leg images: http://bit.ly/xEQjMx 

3 comments:

  1. Nancy Yuen:
    Hilarious!!! Just Tweeted link to this post to about 1,700 people… : )

    Marisa Lysinger-Cumpston:
    Ha! I just googled "Angie's Leg" and got a ridiculous amount of stuff. :)

    Stacey Sellards-Robinson:
    Clever! that's why we love you Christy!!

    Jill Swainson:
    OMG - all that fuss about a bony leg. I dread to think what would have happened if she had done a Janet Jackson!!!

    Paula Lofting:
    I saw this. simply lush!

    Kavitha Oo:
    Oooooh! I follow this blog! Is it yours? It's lovely.

    Christy K Robinson:
    Yes, mine. Thank you!

    Leslie Burke Fernandes:
    I love it! What was she trying to prove anyway?!

    Christy K Robinson:
    Just the Hollywood celebrity being exhibitionistic. What I thought was funny: the explosion of photoshopping Jolie's leg into works of art, and various celebrities. It's just so absurd. :)

    Leslie Burke Fernandes:
    She got what she wanted - free publicity and everyone talking about her!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brilliant! I'd never noticed the whole Leg Thing going on before now, I tell you - a pair of tights and there was no stopping those Stuarts!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wonder if all those men in tights were relieved when the male leg fell out of fashion? Wonderful post, Christy!

    ReplyDelete

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