For Sale. 2 volumes. Presenting Bettie Page At Home & Presenting Bettie Page Outdoors. NY: Burmel and Modern Age, ND (mid-50’s).

Description

Burmel Publishing Co., established in New York City during the 1950s, was a notable entity in the niche market of fetish and alternative lifestyle publications. Founded by Leonard “Lenny” Burtman, a prominent figure in the fetish photography scene, the company specialized in producing magazines and booklets that explored themes of fetish fashion, female dominance, and bondage fantasies. Key publications included Exotique and Exotique Correspondence Digest.

During its operation, Burmel Publishing faced significant legal challenges. In the late 1950s, Burtman (as well as Bettie’s other employer, Irving Klaw and his company Movie Star News) came under intense scrutiny from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and local law enforcement, for violating obscenity laws / the Comstock Act. This led to the arrest of Leonard Burtman, confiscation of materials, and eventual cessation of Exotique magazine in 1959. These same legal challenges also significantly impacted Klaw’s career as well, contributing to the (apparent) destruction of a substantial portion of his photographic archives.

It also drove Bettie into retirement.