What was it like in the 50s and 60s for a person with an open mind when it came to the wild side of sex? Many people turned to books that were considered sleazy or dirty. Gene Bilbrew was a part of this underworld of sexual freedom because he was a very important Fetish illustrator of this era. He was African American and worked for the conservative newspaper Los Angeles Sentinel. During this time, he came up with the first black superhero, The Bronze Bomber. What Gene is really famous for is his prolific fetish illustration work for Exotique magazine. He explored many things that were taboo, such as male feminization, incarcerated women, and many more interesting subjects. One thing that I find very interesting about his work is that he never drew African Americans taking part in Fetish or BDSM activities. I’m sure you had all sorts of people getting their kink on, but the powers that be only wanted him to draw Whites having all of the fun. Check out this huge essay of Gene Bilbrew’s work below…He created all this rad art but died of a heroin overdose in the back of a book store on 42nd street.
