About the Gallery

When I first started costuming and dancing, I took some looks online expecting to find all sorts of vintage middle eastern dance artwork and photography. I was mistaken. Undaunted, I decided to create such a resource for both myself and folks like you.

The images you see in this gallery are vintage orientalist/cheesecake pictures, as well as photos of bona fide performers. I've gleaned from various sources, and have included all the information I know about each of the pictures. Regrettably, in many cases, it is very little. If you know more about any of these pictures (ie., photographer, publication date, artist, model, etc.), please let me know! Make sure you mention the actual URL for the piece in question. Similarly, if there are any copyright issues, I want to hear about those, as well.

[Lucille Ball]

The history of the dance, and the impact raqs sharki (literally, dance of the east, or oriental dance) has had upon pop culture, is absolutely fascinating. Many of the models in the following photos are not, and never were, authentic middle eastern dancers. Rather, they are models and actresses dressed up to reflect the Hollywood cheesecake stereotype of a belly dancer. In the case of movie stills and promotional posters, take note of the fact that for many years, navels were never revealed. Hollywood executives and censorship folks believed showing the belly button would make the viewer think of much more intimate orifices on the female anatomy.


[Girl With Waterpipe]

The Orientalist theme was very popular in the art world during the 1800s and early 1900s. However, many of the artists never left their occidental homelands, choosing to portray harem scenes from their own fantasies. It's not as if these artists would have been allowed in a seraglio (harem), anyhow. It's even more unlikely the artist would be left alone in such a sanctuary to paint nude household women. Nevertheless, it was a very popular fantasy--one which appealed to the Victorians' suppressed erotic desires.


French Postcard]

During the late part of the 19th and the early part of the 20th century, the French began producing an amazing amount of soft erotica. Odalisque scenes, a frequent subject of this photographic genre, were used on postcards. Much of the photography produced is absolutely stunning.


[Exploitative album cover]

The concept of belly dancer as erotic figure continued on into the middle of the twentieth century. The torsos of half-naked, shapely women adorned the covers of so-called exotica records. Many of the women portrayed in this fashion were not middle eastern dancers, but women handpicked for their physical assets. There were exceptions, however. Well-known dancers like Nejla Ates and Boubouka donned pasties and not much else for album covers.


[Bordello Queen]

It comes as no surprise many strippers took on harem girl personas. Burlesque models like Bettie Page, Lili St. Cyr, and Lilli Christine fed the belly dancer fetish. For better or for worse, belly dancers were also portrayed as erotic ideals in countless cheesecake pinups, calendars, and trashy pulp novels.



Many people have been asking me where I obtain all these images. My major source for relevant pictures is the ever-remarkable and oh!-so-addictive Ebay. You can find many of these items for sale there. The search terms I use include:

If you do similar searches, be prepared to slough your way through megabytes of stripper and exotic dancer apparel advertisements.

I'd like to send out a huge thank-you to Morocco for her help in the "who's a stripper and who's a dancer?" game! Her expertise is formidable. I'd also like to thank the various people who have submitted electronic versions of paintings/photos/etcetera. You've all been a big help!

© 2006 Shantell Powell