Tom of Finland

Born in Finland in 1920, Touko Laaksonen became known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland. He was one of the most influential figures in late twentieth century gay culture. Laaksonen produced over 3500 illustrations over the course of four decades despite his style and content conflicting with the U.S. censorship codes restricting depictions of "overt homosexual acts" in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1984 Laaksonen cofounded the Tom of Finland Foundation which is dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting homoerotic artwork.

tomoffinlandfoundation.org

Tom of Finland is featured in Edition: Love + Sex baby