Elmer Batters: From the Tip of the Toes to the Top of the Hose

Rating:
Summary: Better history of Batters' life than a showcase of his work.
Review: Batters was a genius of a lensman! Too me, he captured the essence of a woman's physical beauty. Many of Elmer's fans would have loved to have been his assistant. Instead, it was his wife who stood by his side. It must have been a unique relationship.

I had the opportunity to talk with Elmer by telephone a couple of times before his death. "From the Tip of the Toes to the Top of the Hose," by Eric Kroll, covers Batters'life and times well but it lacks many of the photographers best pieces of work. Too many pages reveal models in boring themed sequences. Many of the magazines Elmer published were better.

The book shows how having an interest in what Batters loved to photograph was not abusive to women or men. That made a positive connection with me at a time when I wondered if I was the only person in the world who shared his desires.

Hopefully, his wife is sharing in Kroll's profits.

This is a book that Elmer liked and a must have for true Batters' fans. If you're lucky enough, you'll receive a copy that the genius signed before his death.

Rating:
Summary: Better history of Batters' life than a showcase of his work.
Review: Elmer Batters will be solefully missed. When the 1960s-70s master of leg and foot fetish photography died in 1997, he left behind a vast portfolio of nude and semi-nude female images--ranging in body form from the skinny to the plump--and displaying legs and feet in seamed, gartered stockings, arching alluring wrinkled soles, or spreading bare toes in erotic Andelusian Fans. Batters wasn't a great photographer, either from an artistic or technical standpoint, but he did have a strong passion for his subject matter and that translated itself into a wonderful body of work. Batters photos will probably appeal only to the true foot fetishist or erotic image collector. But he's worth a look since he almost singlehandedly established foot fetishism as an artform that is being enjoyed by millions of male (and female) readers of magazines like LEG SHOW, LEG ART, etc. And that's no mean feet!

Rating:
Summary: Feet of Desire
Review: Elmer Batters will be solefully missed. When the 1960s-70s master of leg and foot fetish photography died in 1997, he left behind a vast portfolio of nude and semi-nude female images--ranging in body form from the skinny to the plump--and displaying legs and feet in seamed, gartered stockings, arching alluring wrinkled soles, or spreading bare toes in erotic Andelusian Fans. Batters wasn't a great photographer, either from an artistic or technical standpoint, but he did have a strong passion for his subject matter and that translated itself into a wonderful body of work. Batters photos will probably appeal only to the true foot fetishist or erotic image collector. But he's worth a look since he almost singlehandedly established foot fetishism as an artform that is being enjoyed by millions of male (and female) readers of magazines like LEG SHOW, LEG ART, etc. And that's no mean feet!

Rating:
Summary: Homage to Elmer Batters
Review: Elmer Batters' name is nearly synonomous with leg art and pinup photography. This book is a nice tribute to his work, and my only complaint is that is too brief. The interview with him and the history behind some of the models was interesting reading, and of course, the photos are a treat.

Rating:
Summary: Stockings and Feet Fans
Review: Elmer Batters' name is nearly synonomous with leg art and pinup photography. This book is a nice tribute to his work, and my only complaint is that is too brief. The interview with him and the history behind some of the models was interesting reading, and of course, the photos are a treat.

Rating:
Summary: Homage to Elmer Batters
Review: Elmer Batters: From the Tip of the Toes to the Top of the Hose is a homage to a real American cultural icon--the cheesecake photographer as artist. As any Batters fan knows, his photographs of female nylonned feet and legs raised a personal obsession to the level of pop art. The photos speak for themselves and any person interested in leg art will find them interesting at the very least and erotically fascinating at most. Batters' camera and his eye for composition could transform an absolutely ordinary girl next door type into a mysterious love goddess. As a long-time Batters fan, I expected the photos to be wonderful and erotic. What is surprising about the book is the interview material. Elmer Batters was an ordinary man trying to pursue a vision and make a living by doing something equally contrary to the morality of the fifties and the free sexuality of the sixties. Batters simply did not "fit in" in either decade. It is absolutely fascinating to read Elmer Batters' thoughts on what constitutes a great erotic photograph. It is also interesting and poignant to read about his approach to cheesecake photography: his way of working with models, and the role his wife played as a partner and supporter in what must be one the more unlikely artistic collaborations. The story of Batters' various brushes with the censors in the fifties and sixties are also interesting and more than a little troubling. If I have any criticism of this book at all, it is that I would have loved to have heard more about Elmer Batters' life and struggle to make a living in a very odd profession: photographing nylon legs and feet! This book is a must!

Rating:
Summary: Batters is an Inspiration
Review: For those of us who like to wear stockings and suspenders, this book shows how it should be done with style and grace.

Rating:
Summary: FEMALE NYLONED TOES THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF!
Review: I grew up collecting Elmer Batters Magazines, 8mm Films and later Videos. Little did I know the World Wide Cultural Icon He would become. Finding this book renewed old passions, in a life filled with erotic Fantasies revolving around Female Nylon Clad Feet which began when I was in 5th grade. I strongly recommend this series for those who where not fortunate enough to collect all of the Masters images. Or as in my case lost the images to neglect and wear and tear of the Original Magazines.I AM A TRUE BELIEVER in elmers legacyA True Believer In Nyloned Female Feet as Objects of Great BeautyEd [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: FEMALE NYLONED TOES THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF!
Review: I grew up collecting Elmer Batters Magazines, 8mm Films and later Videos. Little did I know the World Wide Cultural Icon He would become. Finding this book renewed old passions, in a life filled with erotic Fantasies revolving around Female Nylon Clad Feet which began when I was in 5th grade. I strongly recommend this series for those who where not fortunate enough to collect all of the Masters images. Or as in my case lost the images to neglect and wear and tear of the Original Magazines.I AM A TRUE BELIEVER in elmers legacyA True Believer In Nyloned Female Feet as Objects of Great BeautyEd [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: The best!!
Review: Mr. Batters has(sadly)passed away but he leaves some awfully big shoes to fill. If you have a foot fetish, then you owe it to yourself to get this book. It makes me smile, ear to ear, when I see the work of this artist. His work isn't commercialized and if you read the book you'll discover he didn't have it as easy as some do today. We all owe this man more than we can repay! But don't just trust the words of others...see for yourself. You won't regret it! ;)