Charles Guyette Explained
Charles Guyette (August 14, 1902 – June, 1976)[1] was a pioneer of fetish style,[2] the first person in the United States to produce and distribute fetish art,[3] and regarded as the mail-order predecessor of Irving Klaw.[4] Later known as the "G-String King,"[5] he is best remembered for his bizarre (i.e., fetish) photographs, some of which featured sadomasochistic content.[6]
Biography
Guyette worked as an innovative burlesque costumer and dealer in theatrical accessories,[7] [8] providing vintage corsets,[9] opera gloves, custom-made fetish boots,[10] and, most famously, G-strings.[11] Employed by National Police Gazette editor, Edythe Farrell, he later provided costumes, high heel shoes and boots, and occasionally photographs for publisher Robert Harrison,[12] [13] known for pin-up magazines such as Wink, Titter, Beauty Parade, Whisper, and Eyeful. He was also important in early fetish community social circles of the day[14] and in the careers of John Willie and Irving Klaw.[15] Guyette was a fetish fashion pioneer.
In 1935, Guyette went to federal prison, becoming the first martyr of fetish art history.[16] Later, he operated under a series of aliases and owned a costume shop on West 45th Street in New York City.[17] Largely uncredited in his lifetime, Guyette influenced key fetish art innovators, including Irving Klaw, John Willie, Eric Stanton, and Leonard Burtman.[18] The subject of a book tribute, Charles Guyette: Godfather of American Art, [19] he is also featured in the independent biopic on Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston. The film Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, written and directed by Angela Robinson,[20] [21] features Guyette as the costumer for Wonder Woman's real-life inspiration, Olive Byrne.[22] Guyette is played by actor JJ Feild.[23]
See also
- Irving Klaw
- John Willie
- Eric Stanton
- Gene Bilbrew
- Bettie Page
- Dita Von Teese
- Fetish fashion
Further reading
- Charles Guyette: Godfather of American Fetish Art [*Cream Paper Edition*] by Richard Pérez Seves. New York: FetHistory, 2019.
- Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground by Richard Pérez Seves. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing, 2018.
- Possibilities: The Photographs of John Willie edited by J.B. Rund. New York: Bélier Press, 2016.
- The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline edited by J.B. Rund.(Second Edition, Revised & Enlarged) New York: Bélier Press, 1999.
- Charles Guyette’s High Heeled Shoes: Photographs circa 1940 by George Monk. Amazon Digital Services (Kindle), 2014.
- The Development of Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style in the Twentieth-Century United States (PhD dissertation) by Robert V. Bienvenu II. Indiana: Indiana University, 1998.
External links
Notes and References
- https://www.fold3.com/record/10638177-charles-guyette
- Robert V. Bienvenu II, The Development of Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style in the Twentieth-Century United States (PhD dissertation) Indiana: Indiana University, 1998. p.72.
- Richard Pérez Seves, Charles Guyette: Godfather of American Fetish Art New York: FetHistory, 2017. p. 119.
- J.B. Rund, The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline (Second Edition, Revised & Enlarged) New York: Bélier Press, 1999. p. 92.
- Rachel Shteir, Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 201
- Richard Pérez Seves, Charles Guyette: Godfather of American Fetish Art New York: FetHistory, 2017. pp. 119 - 120.
- Pérez Seves, Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground, pp. 33.
- https://newspaperarchive.com/austin-sunday-american-statesman-oct-10-1948-p-107/
- https://fethistory.blogspot.com/2017/09/charles-guyette-in-robert-harrison_3.html "Charles Guyette in Robert Harrison Magazines: Wink, Flirt, Eyeful, Beauty Parade, Whisper, Titter.... Corsets, Stockings, Ultra-High Heel Shoes and Boots!.."
- https://fethistory.blogspot.com/2017/10/charles-guyette-g-string-king-vintage.html "Charles Guyette, The G-string King, Vintage Boot Parade!"
- https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/91098743/
- https://fethistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/edythe-farrell-on-charles-guyettes-lady.html "Edythe Farrell on Charles Guyette’s Lady Wrestling Amazon, plus Bettie Page’s Corset!"
- https://fethistory.blogspot.com/2017/09/charles-guyette-in-robert-harrison_3.html "Charles Guyette in Robert Harrison Magazines: Wink, Flirt, Eyeful, Beauty Parade, Whisper, Titter.... Corsets, Stockings, Ultra-High Heel Shoes and Boots!.."
- Robert V. Bienvenu II, The Development of Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style in the Twentieth-Century United States (PhD dissertation) Indiana: Indiana University, 1998. p.78.
- Richard Pérez Seves, Charles Guyette: Godfather of American Fetish Art New York: FetHistory, 2017. pp. 134 - 137.
- http://spiderbites.nytimes.com/pay_1935/articles_1935_08_00002.html ""Held As Exporter Of Obscenity""
- https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/30940201/
- https://thefetishistas.com/charles-guyette-unsung-fetish-hero "Charles Guyette: fetish pioneer who influenced Klaw, Willie & Burtman"
- https://thefetishistas.com/charles-guyette-unsung-fetish-hero "Charles Guyette: fetish pioneer who influenced Klaw, Willie & Burtman"
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6133130/?ref_=nv_sr_1 "Professor Marston & the Wonder Women"
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/professor-marston-wonder-women-1037216 "‘Professor Marston & the Wonder Women’: Film Review"
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/professor-marston-wonder-women-1037216 "‘Professor Marston & the Wonder Women’: Film Review"
- https://www.imdb.com/character/ch0587882/?ref_=fn_al_ch_1
