Overview:
Delta of Venus is a relatively new website that only hosts porn made prior to 1969 and mostly focuses on erotic films, photographs, and literature that presents a view of human sexuality not usually tackled by mainstream porn studios. Priding themselves on not having to deal with "stale screwing scenes, coked-up pornstars, or similar nonsense", the DoV webmasters have selflessly devoted many, many hours to finding vintage erotica and hosting it in one convenient location, just for you. With more "dirty stories, lusty movies, antique smut" and "obscene art" than you can shake a 18th Century ivory dildo at, there's plenty for the budding sexual historian to learn and even more to give anyone losing interest in modern porn a raging hard-on. Membership to Delta of Venus costs only $9.95 a month, and there's also a three-day trial membership available for only $6.95. The antique stylings of the web design only serve to further entice the viewer into signing up and logging in but, as my duties here at Mr. Pink's demand, I'll be saving you the effort (and potentially ten bucks) by giving you a thorough rundown of what a membership to Delta of Venus provides - both the highs and lows, the ups and downs.

After logging in to the site and being greeted by the same attractive page design that charmed you on the tour pages, you'll find a news update from the webmaster that informs us not only of the passing of Bettie Page (pin-up girl and revered sexual icon), but also of the addition of a few, themed vintage erotic movies. A few short passages sit to the right of this main page and offer more information regarding the different kinds of content you can find here: articles, films, literature, works of fine art, photographic images, and "other diversions" such as reading recommendations, website reviews, and audio recordings. The main menu is located at the top of the page and will direct you to all of the previously mentioned content sections in a timely fashion.

Admittedly not the most arousing idea for a porn website, the Articles page is nevertheless informative and entertaining, offering some choice samples of erotic history that provide context for much of what you'll see on this here website. An Introduction to Early Erotic Photography is, well, an introduction to early erotic photography (imagine that) and permits you to both read and stare with jaw agape at what the world's first pornographically-minded shutterbugs accomplished with the technological marvel thought by at least one artist to be the death knell of painting as an art form, that gaffe, my eager students, came from Louis J.M. Daguerre, the noted French artist and chemist. You'll also find in this section some notes on the origins of S&M, early pornography, the history of dildos and information about, and galleries of, the girls of the famous Ziegfeld Follies, an elaborate nude Broadway production that run for many years and ended in 1931. 1960s pin-up sensations June Palmer and Michelle Angelo are also featured in much the same manner. If you're a little skeptical about reading and learning on a porn site, ignore your suspicions and check out the articles; they're well worth the time.

The Films page is up next and is undoubtedly the centerpiece of Delta of Venus' collection. With the films divided into three main categories - Early Silent Films 1920-1950, Mid Century Films 1950-1969, and Burlesque & Nudie Flicks 1940-1969, you're able to isolate the style and era of erotic film you're most interested in. All videos can be streamed or downloaded and are delivered in QuickTime MOV format. Resolutions vary quite a bit but usually hover around 640x480. Quality, too, depends on a number of factors: the film's age, condition, original format, and the digitizing process. Obviously the older the film, the lower the quality (although some movies from the 50s and 60s are also in pretty poor shape). Luckily, this often adds to the viewers' enjoyment, instead of being a distraction.

The Lit and Art pages contain some reasonably exciting material but are suited more to satisfying your curiosity than giving your pants a stretch. With eight full-length downloadable novels (in PDF form) and a handful of poems and excerpts, the Lit section will really hold the interest of an avid reader or amateur historian. Erotic works of art from the 1500s to the 1940s can be found on the Art page, with eleven galleries dedicated to the works of such artistes as Paul Avril (Mid 1800s), Suzanne Ballivet (Mid 1900s), and Unknown, who worked out of France in the 30s. You'll get to read a little about each artist and discover all manners of intriguing tidbits. For example: did you know that Agostino Caracci was imprisoned by Pope Clement VII for the publication of more than a dozen images that explicitly depicted classical and mythological figures such as Paris, Cleopatra, Hercules, and Achilles engaging in all manner of sexual positions and entanglements? Most of the images reach resolutions around 600x800 pixels and look quite nice, although when it comes to digitized images of paintings, there really can never be enough definition.

Aside from the vintage movies, the photographic content hosted by Delta of Venus is definitely be the most avidly and frequently used material on the site. As with the cinematographic material, the photos are divided up into a number of categories, making it easier for you to find exactly what you want. Three time periods are represented, 1850-1920, 1920-1940, and 1940-1969, and for each of these there is a gallery containing images of women, girls with girls, straight sex, and BDSM. You'll find everything from simple blowjobs and lesbian cunnilingus to crucifixion-style bondage racks and swinging 60s orgies. Again, most of the images hover around the 600x800 resolution mark and look quite sharp and lively considering their age. There are no slideshows or zip downloads currently available, so you'll have to sort through each gallery manually.

With not much in the way of bonus material (if you want to call the Other Diversions section a "bonus"), there's little left to discuss but the raw facts. What makes Delta of Venus worthy of your ten bucks each month? What makes Delta of Venus worthy of the html it was coded in? What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?

Pros:
- There's a wealth of pornographic and erotic material on Delta of Venus, the likes of which many of you have never before laid eyes on.

- Most of the videos have been encoded at a decent resolution and bitrate, making them enjoyable viewing regardless of the era from which they spawned.

- Updates seem to arrive once a week without fail.

- $10 a month? Go out for pizza once this week, instead of twice, and you'll be able to spare a measly ten bucks.

Cons:
- None of the content is in any way exclusive.

- The image galleries can't be downloaded, only individual pics. There are no slideshows, either.

- While I enjoy the somewhat highbrow feel of Delta of Venus, I can appreciate that some of you just want to get your rocks off.

- Quality can occasionally falter and you'll be left feeling like you missed the analog-to-digital TV conversion!

Conclusion:
With a substantial archive of films, photos, paintings, and written works, Delta of Venus offers a quality service to the discerning vintage porn fan. The quality is about as good as can be expected, considering the sources, and shouldn't cause too many strained retinas or new bifocal prescriptions. What's even better is that the monthly membership cost is under ten bucks! Almost any horny yet classy gentleman can afford such a meager sum of money. Still, it'd be great to see heftier updates and an even slicker site design, perhaps with a tag system and search engine to help members find exactly the movie or photo they're looking for without having to spend too long mining the depths of the archive.