In early 20th century boudoir was influenced by the Art Deco movement, feminist trends that saw the rise in female artists and subject matters beyond male depictions.
During this time as women were able to explore roles beyond the home female artists like Imogen Cunningham and Dora Maar were able to use common stylistic themes of boudoir to add a feminine take on photography of the era.
After the dissolution of the Prohibition Era in 1933 and the beginning of World War II, the US Government began using propaganda to encourage young men to fight for their country.
In addition, it became a common form of nose art on military planes for pin up images to be painted on as a way of identifying groups, and maintaining individuality.
[14] Boudoir photography dates from the mid-1980s onwards,[15] and is characterized by the empowerment of its female subjects, who now are typically the photographer's direct clients[16] rather than being hired models.
This intriguing branch of photography invites men to showcase their vulnerability, strength, and confidence in a visually stunning and emotionally charged manner.
It is common for women to have boudoir photographs of themselves made as a gift to a partner, conventionally on the occasion of their engagement, marriage, pregnancy or before an enforced separation such as a military deployment.
[20] Increasingly, boudoir photography is seen as something that a person might do purely for their own enjoyment, for the pleasure and affirmation of seeing themselves as attractive, daring, sensual, and sexually desirable.
[23] Visually the genre is characterized by diffuse high-key images[24] that flatter the appearance of skin, short focal distances, and shallow depth of field,[25] which together impart an intimate, "dreamy" mood.
Other common styles include a low-key, deliberately grainy black-and-white, reflecting the influence of art nudes, early erotic photography, and film noir.
Common motives include women intending to gift the session photos to her partner, documentation of a place in time for the subject, and the personal experience of boudoir.