1905 was a good year for Avril. His Aretino volume had sold remarkably well, and it is likely that Charles Hirsch suggested that an erotically-themed calendar would be a good bet. Hence Les mois amoureux (The Months of Love), each list of days accompanied by a seasonal image not unlike the earlier Joie d’hiver.

The titles of the twelve plates are:

January   New Year’s Day – The First Visit
February   Carnival – The Two Noses
March   Scallops (a seasonal seafood delicacy) – They’re Moist!
April   Easter Eggs – One Large and Two Small
May   Spring – The Sap Rises
June   Communion – A Lovely Candle
July   The Fourteenth (Bastille Day) – The Final Gallop
August   Sea Bathing – Spume of Love
September   In Switzerland – The Crevasse
October   The Hunt – The Three-Shot Rifle
November   Day of the Dead – Consoling the Widow
December   Out in the World – The Last Waltz

Sadly this was the only year for which such a calendar was produced.

We are very grateful to Hans-Jürgen Döpp for these images; Hans-Jürgen, the compiler of many books on erotic art, curates the Venusberg online gallery and bookshop which you can find here.