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"Pawnographic"?
Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 4:56 pm
by John Townsend
" ... An antique dealer was fined £35 yesterday for exposing to view a 32-piece chess set ... Police Sergeant David Fox told Marylebone court that he saw a chess set showing couples in sexual positions ... "
(source: Liverpool Daily Post, 25 August, 1971, page 3)
Would it be fair to describe the chessmen as "Pawnographic"?
Re: "Pawnographic"?
Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 5:13 pm
by Matt Mackenzie
Would be disappointed if that headline hadn't been used at the time tbh.
Re: "Pawnographic"?
Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 5:26 pm
by John Townsend
What headline?
Re: "Pawnographic"?
Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 6:20 pm
by Jon D'Souza-Eva
The headline used for the story by the Guardian was rather feeble.
- Guardian_25Aug1971.png (324.02 KiB) Viewed 1477 times
A German website (
https://schach-ohne-ausgrenzung.at/kurioses-2024/) has a picture of the dealer, Trevor Stowe:
- Trevor-Stowe-200x300.jpg (16.09 KiB) Viewed 1477 times
Re: "Pawnographic"?
Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 6:26 pm
by Jon D'Souza-Eva
I wonder how long Mr Stowe's shop survived for? This story is from the Sydney Morning Herald of 8th January, 1972.
- TrevorStowe2.jpg (233.26 KiB) Viewed 1476 times
Re: "Pawnographic"?
Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 7:12 pm
by John Townsend
A contemporary reflection:
"The mating on Trevor Stowe's chessboard wasn't the kind normally seen in the game."
(The Tennessean, August 25, 1971, page 13)