From Janus into Februs: rare art from classic spanking mags

As we move from January into February, it seems appropriate to shift focus from the rarely seen spanking artwork that appeared in Janus, towards those rarities that appeared in its sister magazine, Februs.

I vaguely recall reading that Februs was intended to provide more of a 'female perspective', and this is certainly the case in 'Caught Out' (Februs 29), which describes a kinky managing director having some fun after hours...

I'm still not entirely sure what makes Janus 'Janus' and Februs 'Februs', though they are undeniably different. In 'Acting Up' a director employs a little Kiss Me Kate-style coaching to help an actress learn her lines. She doesn't get the part, but they do get married!

These drawings were actually re-used in Janus to illustrate the story 'Left Luggage', which appeared in Janus 160, the first issue in which that magazine stopped featuring original art.

The stories in Februs were often more 'fun' and 'romantic' than those in Janus, with more articles and features... or perhaps Paula Meadows was just such a talent that she needed a magazine all to herself!

Quoting this advert from Janus 101, perhaps we can say that Janus dealt with Corporal Punishment while Februs dealt with Corporal Pleasure? 'His Letters His Books' from Februs 6 is basically one long, teasing build-up to a young woman's first meeting with the dominant man with whom she has been corresponding...

'Driving Force' (Februs 9) is one of those stories where you probably don't need the words to work out what is going on, though I should probably clarify that the second image is a flashback to the young woman as a college student on work experience, getting spanked for making a mistake on her last day...

However, there seems to be plenty of both pleasure and punishment in most of the stories...

It's always annoying when colleagues take your stationery, but this young typist's penalty for 'stealing' a ruler in 'The Stolen Ruler' (Februs 5) seems rather severe... and afterwards she feels something hard in her boss's trousers..

In 'Stephanie Gets the Brush Off' (Februs 10) the 'guardian and direct superior' of a modelling agency demonstrates to an irritating television host how she keeps the models in line... and in front of a live television audience no less!

Anyone who enjoyed the frequent spankings in American Wrestling will enjoy 'Indya' (Februs 47), the story of the eponymous lady wrestler getting the spanked behind and introduction to the Scottish tawse she so sorely needs... before she shows her tormentor how to wrestle!

With so many of these 'new' artworks being the introductory pieces to the stories, we have seen many of the subsequent drawings before, but it's great to read the stories behind them. I have always loved the final artwork in this next set and wanted to know the story behind it... and 'Corrected Lives' did not disappoint (The editors must have agreed, for it appeared in both Februs 7 and Janus 159).

Two city girls move to a rural village where, to paraphrase the barmaid on their first night 'The women know their place and their men aid them in their understanding when they make a mistake...' When the barmaid's husband decides she was rude to the newcomers, he sends her round with a riding crop so that they may punish her. The baffled girls of course refuse, only to immediately walk in on the village shopkeeper disciplining his wife with a rather juicy strap!

And when the girls voice their disgust at the village way of  life in the local pub, it of course leads on to that final scene...

In 'Home Truth' (Februs 12), a housewife finds her husband's stash of spanking mags and videos, and can't resist having a good look through...

Before challenging him to make his fantasies a reality when he gets home!

When a university professor and experienced disciplinarian leaves his Cambridge flat vacant in a hurry in 'Fully Furnished' (Februs 17), a series of unfortunate misunderstandings lead to a flat-seeking female student with a very sore bottom indeed!

In 'The Rochester Act' (Februs 20), an actor and actress engage in a private performance of Jane Eyre that takes rather a lot of liberties with the original text...

The editor of a pornographic magazine meets up with an author of spanking fiction in 'Peut-etre' (Februs 21) and brings her stories to life... rather more accurately than either of them expected!

At the Ancient Olympics an Athenian athlete runs away to join her Spartan lover and submits to the same strict discipline in 'Olympian Games' (Februs 22)...

One can only wish we could witness similar scenes at this year's Modern Olympics!

Struggling to fit into her wedding dress, a desperate young woman visits 'The Dietician' (Februs 22), whose methods are simple: the cane and the riding-whip if you don't reach your targets!

Given the way fad diets come and go, you're bound to see his methods spreading like wildfire across Instagram soon!

In 'Pen Friend' (Februs 26) a sophisticated young lady gets the thorough birching she craves, following a teasing correspondence about how eighteenth century literary heroines deserved a damn good thrashing!

In Februs 48, a local councillor catches his haughty colleague (the titular 'Ice Maiden') swiping a copy of Janus during a routine inspection of a sex shop, and makes her take everything the lady in her favourite story is getting...

And also in the final issue of Februs, a woman's masochistic desires go unsatisfied until her best friend suggests a liaison with the titular (and anonymous) 'Master'... apparently he sorted her friend's sister out!

After issue 48, Februs was apparently combined with Janus, though I haven't been back to compare the subsequent issues to see how much the influence of 'Corporal Pleasure' had on the the final years of Janus's run.

Rare spanking art from the Janus contents page

Like the Readers' Letters and the editorial articles, the contents pages of magazines from the Janus stable were illustrated, and provide a treasure trove of unseen art by some of the greatest spanking artists.

Though many of them have been overlooked, what appears to be the main picture from 'Discipline: the Garden Variety' in Janus 151 was used on the contents page of that issue, and is the one you while have probably already seen, while I had not come across the opening illustration before until I was working my way through the archives of classic magazines on the Spanking Art Wiki.

The woman in the pictures is a newlywed solicitor trained up as a good little submissive wife by her new husband... and he invites his business partner to join the fun!

Before Hardcastle's long stint as resident artist, the contents pages were usually illustrated by Paula Meadows, though sometimes other artists appeared...

The contents images rarely linked to the rest of the magazine, though this intro to Janus 137 was followed by 'Double Fault', a photo story featuring a lady being spanked in a rather fetching tennis outfit...

The 'News Wire' in Janus 132 covered the issue of overly tight British Airways skirts tearing at the back, accompanied by an illustration by Paula Meadows. In the words of one stewardess 'The back seam of the sarong weakens no matter how big your backside'!...

...A problem that also seems to have afflicted this traffic warden on the contents page of Janus 139!

Later contents pages focused on daydreaming gentlemen surreptitiously admiring spankable bottoms.

Though thankfully the images eventually returned to a more explicitly erotic format...

Especially when Anton took over as resident artist!

His depictions of unfortunate maidens in Bridewells and grim cells chime well with the magazine's historical articles on 'Womanly Whippings': gleeful accounts of how medieval women were whipped through the streets and 'in the gaol'.

Paula Meadows' illustrations for the contents pages of Fessee and Februs are much more widely seen online, though while browsing through the Spanking Art Wiki archives there were a few I hadn't come across before...

As well as the contents pages, editorial articles and collages of artworks provide other unseen treats...

Janus and Februs also featured adverts for other publications, often with illustrated covers and rather filthy titles and descriptions.

The standout is probably 'Wife Whipper': the story of a young man who witnessed his own mother's marital infidelity...

He targets flirty married women, whom he dates several times before punishing them for being "naughty wives".

The back cover of Janus 54 (and many issues onwards) included this rather lovely artwork depicting a couple visiting the Janus bookshop.

I particularly like how the lighting draws attention to the lady's bottom, which will no doubt shortly be tasting her husband's hand or one of those swishy canes the Janus bookshop was infamous for selling alongside its magazines!