When I first began buying John Willie LA bondage photographs the key for me was the backgrounds. A certain background would let me know that was a John Willie photo. After a while I became familiar with the models and Willie’s bondage style and key indicators for a Willie photo expanded. There was a distinctive background for strip set photographs that caught my attention. At first I’d find a photo here or there and purchase it if I could. At a certain point I found a complete strip set group of 12 4×5 inch photos. I believe these photographs were shot in a burlesque theater around 1950.