MARK OF THE LASH
DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO WEAR THEIR STRIPES WITH PRIDE
Welcome
You entered, so it is presumed you are not offended by sado-masochism. If you are, please use the "BACK" button of your browser to leave. If you are underage, leave. Actually, you will find nothing here any more sexually explicit or sadistic than you would watching "Mutiny on the Bounty" or a good old Hollywood-produced Bible epic.
This site features images of markings made by whips on the human upper torso. All subjects of these images consented to be whipped and willingly agreed to the display of these photos.
While there are many commercial and non-commercial sites displaying SM scenes and showing reddened flesh, this site concentrates on what we aficionados (I and others like me, in other words) believe to be the beauty of whip markings. These include welts, bruises and scars, especially those laid on symmetrically or in a pattern. We view these marks made by the lash as a form of body art. Scarring, like tattooing is, after all, a form of body modification.
Some people love tattoos, others favor piercings. Here, it is the scar of the whip. Some like body painting or henna tattoos. Similarly, we adore the temporary adornments of welts.
Show the pictures:
Go to this page for video clips
Latest additions:
One photo of a single-tailed female back sent to me by someone who
wished to remain anonymous, added June 2009.
One photo sent to me in October 2008 by a man who received 29 hard strokes on his back with a single tail
Two male backs after being single tailed at Folsom Street Fair 2008
One male back with scars from a scalpel resembling single tail stripes at Folsom 2008
One female back, whip type unknown at Folsom 2008
Three photos and a video of a man with nice long single tail stripes
across his back
One photo and a video of this same man being scourged
Two photos of a woman single-tailed on the back at the Up Your Alley Fair July
2008
Two photos of a man single-tailed on the back at the Up Your Alley Fair July
2008
Photo of a male chest after being severely single-tailed in an outdoor scene in
Washington DC.
Male back - whipped with a single-tail tipped with a leather cracker
Most of the welts were produced with a three-tailed tawse (tapered leather strap). Floggers and cats were also used.
-Whipping by Leatherback
-Photo by Leatherback, March 2000
Male back - whipped with a short single-tail tipped with a nylon cracker
Beautiful long stripes: Floggers and cats were also used. The subject actually likes wraps, so these were done intentionally.
Photo of the short single-tail used in this scene
"The impression of keen whips I'd wear as rubies" - WS, Measure for Measure, II, 4
-Whipping by Leatherback
-Photo by Leatherback, April 2000
(Anyone interested in learning to use single-tail whips properly would do well to visit Robert Dante’s site http://www.smwhip.net/
Mr. Dante is a leading expert and holds the Guinness Book record for executing the most cracks in one minute. He is both a sport cracker and an active participant in and lecturer to the SM community. (Believe me, not all sport and stunt crackers are scene friendly.)
Male back - flogged with a hard braided seven-tailed cat and thin tailed rubber flogger
These are the most magnificent welts I have ever seen produced by floggers and cats. The subject was fairly new to flogging, so his flesh marked in a way rarely seen because the skin of most masochists becomes toughened with experience long before they ever allow themselves to be flogged this hard. These welts are not bloody. In fact, they disappeared rather quickly.
-Flogging by Lady Cynthia
-Photo by Leatherback, August 1998
Female back - cut by a single-tail tipped with a nylon cracker
No back this lovely should ever go unwhipped. Cats and floggers were also used.
Photo of a similar whip
-Flogging by Lady Cynthia
-Photo by Leatherback, May 2000
Male chest - whipped with a leather tipped single-tail
Vertical strokes, just short of blood
-Flogging by Mistress Littlestar (Mistress Littlestar is a fine
Pro-Domme. Her site can be easily located by entering "Mistress
Littlestar" in Google.)
-Photo by Leatherback, May 2000
Female back - single-tail signal whip - nylon cracker
Only her loving master could improve upon what nature has formed…
-Photo by Leatherback, June 2000
Female breasts - single-tail signal whip - nylon cracker
…or adorn what nature has perfected.
Photo of a similar but shorter whip
-Photo by Leatherback, June 2000
Male back - striped by a signal whip - nylon cracker
This is I, Leatherback at the Dore Alley Fair, July 2000. No need to reach for your specs to see the red stripes. I just don't mark all that easily any more, durn it!
Photo of a similar whip
Female breasts - rather severe eight-tailed latigo cat
She remained silent through most of it, offering only two protests: "Harder" and "Aim more for the nipples, please".
Photo of the latigo cat
-Flogging by Leatherback
-Photo by Leatherback, August 2000
Male back after an outdoor scene - short single-tail - nylon cracker
These show a nice radial pattern of red stripes.
Photo of the short single-tail
-Whipping by Leatherback
-Photo by Leatherback, June of 2000
Female back single-tailed at the Folsom Street Fair - signal whip - nylon cracker
She seems quite pleased with it too!
The whip is similar to this snake. A snake does not have a rigid handle but does have a fall, a latigo thong between the braided body and the cracker. A signal whip also does not have a rigid handle but the cracker is woven directly to the braided body of the whip.
-Photo by Leatherback,
Male back single-tailed at the Folsom Street Fair - signal whips - nylon cracker
This is photo is pretty extreme. At least three people had a go at this
fellow's back that
day, including the woman standing in front of him.
The whip is similar to this snake. A snake does not have a rigid handle but does have a fall, a latigo thong between the braided body and the cracker. A signal whip also does not have a rigid handle but the cracker is woven directly to the braided body of the whip.
-Photo by Leatherback
Female breasts - stripes left by a pretty severe short oil-tanned flogger
She took it very well, at one point falling to her knees and then willing positioning herself for more.
Photo of the short oil-tanned flogger
-Flogging by Leatherback
-Photo by Leatherback
Male back - striped by a 2.5' single-tail with a nylon cracker
When a friend pops by from overseas, what gracious host could refuse to offer a whipping on the bare back? This fellow prefers "punishment style" without any warm-up. The formal "punishment" consisted of 80 lashes divided over two days. However, with less formality, there was a total of well over 200. This picture was taken during the first session.
Photo of the short single-tail
-Flogging by Leatherback
-Photo by Leatherback
Male back - as above but the shot was taken at the end of the first session
Male back - as above, after the last session
I wonder what term the English use for "pain slut". I forgot to ask.
This lovely ladyjo received her whipping at a single-tail demo. I've always thought of whipping as a kind of dance between the Top and bottom and, given the pose, she's ready for the ballet.
ladyjo credits zeBear with the artwork on her back and a cooperative observer with the photos. She has since moved from the East Coast to the Northwest. Unfortunately, his whip is not quite that long.
Male back - full size bull whip
Up Your Alley Fair (aka Dore Alley Fair), San Francisco, July 2002. The whip artist was quite skillful. He was using an 8 footer at least, nylon cracker, and he wielded it with an overhead crack. The scene was quite impressive to watch.
--Whipping by? (Let me know if you are the artist and want credit.)
--Photo by Leatherback
Male back - single tail and tom cat
The owner of this handsome back goes by the nick of "ruphboy" and apparently he likes it ruph. He said the whips used were a single-tail and a tom cat. A tom cat has a handle similar to that of a snake but, instead of tapering to a single lash, has nine thin hard braided leather cords. In most cases the tails have about an inch of light leather tassel, so a wide range of sensations are possible from very gentle to very severe. In this case, it was, no doubt, pretty ruph. This photo was also shot at Dore Alley 2002.
--Whipping by? (Let me know if you want credit.)
--Photo by Leatherback
Male back - metal barbed scourge
Leatherback, yours truly, at the Folsom Street Fair 2002: The whip consisted of a nine tailed leather "bootlace" cat, each with three knots. Behind each knot was a stainless steel finishing washer with five or six little nicks around it's edge to form a kind of spur. The cuts were not deep and a day later it looked no worse than a little carelessness while picking blackberries. The lovely lady who performed the flogging is Domina Dear. Domina is an excellent Pro-Domme. Her site can be easily located by entering "Domina Dear" in Google.
Photo of the metal barbed scourge
--Flogging by Domina Dear
--Photo by Domina Dear
Male chest - short single tail
Very nice welts, these are close to ideal. jeans_noshirt_and_whipped shaved his chest for this whipping and took it like a real champ. This picture was taken on October 17, 2002.
Photo of the short single-tail
--Whipping by Leatherback
--Photo by Leatherback
Note: jeans_noshirt_and_whipped has kept very detailed diaries of each of his flogging experiences. See http://www.markofthelash.net/JNS&W_Diaries for an index list.
Male back - eight tailed flogger
We'll just call this fellow Brian. Why not? That’s his name. Most of this damage was done with what could be called either a cat or a flogger. The tails are more like those of a flogger but there are only eight of them and it is made from a fairly thick and dense leather. I also used the rawhide switch, described below. There were several floggings of the back during various scenes over a two day period. Also included were a flogging of the chest, strapping the ass, switching the legs and electrical shocks. We won't go into all that here. See videos of this scene
Male chest - rawhide switch, "plastic dressage" and "plastic scourge"
Male chest - same as above but from a different angle (he requested wraps)
jeans_noshirt_and_whipped outdid himself for this one on April 20, 2003. I should warn the squeamish, it's pretty bloody. However the cuts are superficial and heal quite quickly.
After being warmed up with a short oil tanned flogger which most people find too severe on any part of the body, I used a switch I made from a bundle of 1/4 inch wide stiff rawhide strips. That did some cutting. That was followed with a dressage-like whip. A dressage has a long thin flexible cane-like handle with a short piece of thin whip cord attached. It is used for dressage, the training of horses. This "plastic dressage" was actually a 27 inch piece of an old fiberglass fishing pole with a 16" length of 1/4" plastic irrigation tubing shredded into three thongs with sharp edges. What I am calling the "plastic scourge" is a 30" bundle of nine such tubes, each shredded into three thongs for the last 12 inches. See videos of this scene
--Whipping by Leatherback
-- Photo by Leatherback
Male back - forty with a "prison cat"
What I'm calling a "prison cat" has hard whipcord or thin rope tails, no knots (as with some naval cats) and a fairly long handle, 15.5’ in this case. "jeans_noshirt_and_whipped," stoic as he is, commented with a chuckle that stroke number 28 really smarted. Then again, he had just been warmed up by the chest whipping described above.
The prison cat I made was similar to the short nylon cat, except the handle is 15.5” long and the tails are 24”. The tails are also braided for the first few inches from the handle.
--Flogging by Leatherback
--Photo by Leatherback
Note: jeans_noshirt_and_whipped has kept very detailed diaries of each of his flogging experiences. See http://www.markofthelash.net/JNS&W_Diaries for an index list.
Male back and ass - sixty lashes with a single tail
On his 60th birthday, sixty lashes with a five-foot long single tail whip
were administered to this San Francisco male. Some of the marks lasted three
weeks.
--Whipping and photo by Mistress E. of San Francisco.
Male back striped by short single tails
I like outdoor scenes. This same person is seen in several of the earliest photos with severe welts and cuts. This whipping was much less severe but it had been a while since he had been flogged, so the flesh was striped nicely without welting or cutting.
--Whipping by Leatherback
--Photo by Leatherback, August 2003
Male back flogged raw at Folsom 2004
And as viewed through the cats which did the damage
Jeans_noshirt_and_whipped outdid his usual high endurance level for this session. Unfortunately, the photos are video frame grabs, so the resolution is not very good. And no, the action was not video taped.
He was warmed up with 80 strokes from this rather severe short oil-tanned flogger, followed by 50 with the bootlace cat. Then the real damage began, first with 30 lashes of the short nylon cat, 24 of the prison cat (similar to the short nylon but with a 15.5” handle and 24” tails.). He was finished off with a dozen with this naval style cat with three blood knots on each tail.
Although the blood knot, by that name, is still used for securing fishing hooks, the term apparently originated from its use on cats. Aside from the obvious effect of being struck by hard, dense knots on the tails, knots also act to keep the tails separated so air will pass between them more readily, greatly increasing the speed of the lash and reducing any cushioning effect on the skin by trapped air. In other words, they have a similar effect to that of holes drilled in a paddle.
--Flogging by Leatherback
--Photo by Leatherback, September 2004
Visit Jeans_noshirt_and_whipped’s website for additional photos and descriptions: http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.net/ph/jeans_noshirt_and_whipped/my_photos
A Very Severe Flogging
(There are also two video clips of this scene)
Here I will use Jeans_noshirt_and_whipped’s own description of the scene and place the photo hyperlinks where they occurred:
I've watched the video several times, and have tried to jot down some
things and I am just wondering if you think I have my facts right.
seized up for 55 minutes.
3 with hard rubber on my back
The Squid
soft cowhide cat:
“soft
leather” cat
60 on back
16 (approx) on chest
8 (approx) on abdomen
then general play
hard rubber whip
50 on back
3 for asking for drink
The Squid
Nylon cat:
Prison Cat (15.5" handle
and 24" tails)
general play with incl. figure 8's
24 fairly hard ones during fig 8's on back
50 hard on back
http://www.markofthelash.net/mb-26.jpg
11 tail knotted cat:
7-8 on chest
eased up and played with figure-8's on my chest and abdomen
then 6 more hard ones (3 from each side) on chest
20 hard on back
11-Tailed Knotted Cat
dressage:
plastic dressage
about 32 moderate lashes alternating between chest and back
figure 8's
about 86 on back fairly rapidly (2-1/2 min)
back quite bloody by this time
given a drink
http://www.markofthelash.net/mb-27.jpg
heavy knotted cat
naval cat with blood
knots
24 hard lashes (approx 2-1/2 min)
50 with plastic scourge (approx 2 minutes)
plastic scourge
http://www.markofthelash.net/mb-28.jpg
http://www.markofthelash.net/mb-29.jpg
--Flogging by Leatherback
--Photos by Leatherback, June 2005
Note: jeans_noshirt_and_whipped has kept very detailed diaries of each of his flogging experiences. See http://www.markofthelash.net/JNS&W_Diaries for an index list. Look for 2004Sep24.txt in the Flogged by Leatherback folder.
Visit Jeans_noshirt_and_whipped’s website for additional photos and descriptions: http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jeans_noshirt_and_whipped/my_photos
Female back -- nice welts from a bootlace whip
This lovely lady goes by the name of Shy. She was fairly new to being whipped but likes it surprisingly hard. Therefore her “virgin” back welted beautifully. Some of the marks were made with a “soft leather” cat but the most well-defined were the result of a few hard strokes with a bootlace bootlace cat .
--Flogging by Leatherback
--Photo by Leatherback, October 2005
I didn’t catch this fellow’s name but he said he loved to be photographed. There’s a long video clip in the video section of this website of him being flogged and single tailed on the back and chest.
--Whipping by some guy at the Up Your Alley Fair (let me know if you want
credit)
--Photo by Leatherback, July 29, 2007
Female Back – Welts from a single tail at Folsom Street Fair 2007, San Francisco, CA
I didn’t learn much about this person, just asked if I could take a picture and post it here.
--Photo by Leatherback, September 30, 2007
Male Back – Single-Tailed by His Master 1
Male Back – Single-Tailed by His Master 2
These pictures where sent to me by from Italy by a fellow who goes by the nickname of Meatloaf. The welts made a big impression on both of us. By the way, the rope corset is a great way to protect the kidneys, especially when vertical strokes like this are used.
--Whipping by Master Frank Teri, San Francisco CA
--Photo circa June 9, 2007.
Male Back-Various Single-Tails
There is also a short video of the end of this session in the video section of this website.
This fellow calls himself Saint Paul because like many Catholic grade school children of our (50’s and 60’s) generation his interest in BDSM was first sparked by images portrayed in religious comics, text books and movies about the martyrdom of the saints. While not reared Catholic, I also received similar religious comic books in Sunday school. I horded a stash of them which I used as pornography. These comics also portrayed a lot of sexy sinners.
Paul saved one of these comics, attached it to an e-mail to me and wrote about it thus:
St. Paul wrote, in the Bible,
2 Corinthians 11:24-25
"Five times I was flogged forty stripes.
Thrice was I beaten with rods."
That stirred up my imagination.
And Catholic grade schools had a special monthly
comic book, "Treasure Chest," that was published just
for Catholic grade school kids. I still have the issue
that depicts St. Paul being flogged...
... that's what started it all for me.
Wearing only a loin cloth-- being brutally flogged--
the ultimate whipping experience.
I'd love a flogging Session like that!
I used a various single-tails but the one which produced the most pronounced stripes was a simple two foot carbon fiber rod with about 8 inches of nylon cord, similar to whip cord in size and hardness. It was really a home-made dressage but more severe than most you would find in the local tack shop.
He was laying almost horizontally on a plank during most of the severe whipping but posed in a standing position for these two pictures.
--Whipping by Leatherback
--Photo by Leatherback May 24, 2008
There is also a short video of the end of this session in the video section of this website.
This is Saint Paul again, a week later and ratcheting it up a notch.
The Roman scourge typically had a short handle, 8-10 inches perhaps. The tails were thin thongs of leather or rope, only about a foot long, slightly different in length to prevent tangling and usually three in number. What made the Roman scourge the scourge among whips was that the ends of the tails were tipped with lead, iron, bronze, stone or bone weights. Sometimes they were sharp but usually shaped like miniature dumb bells. Under Roman law it was only used on a person about to be executed. Of course I didn’t lay it on with the force of a Roman soldier but it doesn’t take much force.
Paul made this scourge out of bolo ties, leaving on the metal aglets. If you do not know what a bolo tie is, here’s a picture.
--Scourging by Leatherback
--Photo by Leatherback May 31, 2008
Female Back -- Arching After a Lash
This single tail whipping was performed at the Up Your Alley Fair (aka Dore Alley Fair), July 27, 2008. She was being whipped fairly lightly previously and this photo was taken just after one of the first hard strokes. For me the arching and flexing of the back under the lash is very erotic.
--Whipping at the Leather Forum charity flogging booth.
--Photo by Leatherback July 27, 2008
Same Woman's Back After the Whipping
--Whipping at the Leather Forum charity flogging booth.
--Photo by Leatherback July 27, 2008
Male Back Just After Being Whipped
--Whipping at the Leather Forum charity flogging booth.
--Photo by Leatherback July 27, 2008
--Whipping at the Leather Forum charity flogging booth.
--Photo by Leatherback July 27, 2008
I met this fellow who goes by the nick of Dr. Fiendish (I believe he usually tops) at the 2008 Up Your Alley Fair where he was one of the few men actually doing a public scene with a woman. He sent me this photo which was taken after an outdoor scene on a cold day in Washington DC. He said the DC Metro and the Capitol dome were in view, so have fantasies about your favorite Washington politician.
By the way, the whipping went much lower than what is shown in this photo, right to the “danger zone”. He had raw welts on the penis and the upper thighs as well – brave fellow.
Two Male Backs After Being Single-Tailed At Folsom Street Fair 2008
--Photo by Leatherback September 28, 2008
Female Back After Being Whipped at Folsom Street Fair 2008
I do not know what kind of whip was used.
--Photo by Leatherback September 28, 2008
Male Back Scarred by a Scalpel
OK, it's not really a mark of the lash but should appeal to those who likes whipped backs.
--Photo by Leatherback September 28, 2008
Male Back After 29 Hard Strokes with a Single-Tail
This fellow calls himself bruceboy although I suspect bruised boy might be
appropriate as well.
The whipping was performed by Mistress Steph using a 4' Patterson Hard Love
Leather single-tail. Actually, two such whips were used and one which was about
6” shorter than the other make the more pronounced stripes.
Here's a photo of a whip of the same brand, although the ones used for this
whipping were longer and heavier. short single-tail
Aside from the 29 hard strokes there were many more lighter ones in the warm-up
part of a session which lasted about 30 minutes
This scene occurred in October 2008.
--Whipping by Mistress Steph
--Photo by Mistress Steph 2008
Female Back Lashed with a Signal Whip
The photographer, who also performed the whipping, wishes to remain anonymous. It was e-mailed to me in June 2009 and the whipping took place the previous year.
Go to video clips
Add your photo(s):
· Either or any gender
· Any sexual orientation
· There must be significant marking above the waist. If more is shown, that is fine too.
· Photos which display genitalia may be cropped, selectively blurred or otherwise altered to obscure the (OHMIGOSH!) offending body parts.
· Photos of recklessly unsafe whipping will be not be displayed here. Heavy welts or bruises on the lower back (below the rib cage and over the kidneys), on the abdomen or on the neck, throat or face are out. Cuts are OK but bloody messes are not likely to be judged as aesthetically pleasing.
· Do not send pictures of markings resulting from any non-consensual activity or physical abuse, even if you are the victim.
· Whip marks should be distinct lines, not merely a general reddening of the flesh.
· Absolutely, positively and most definitely, NOTHING INVOLVING CHILDREN will be allowed.
· You must have permission from each and every person in the picture and of the photographer for any picture to be displayed here, unless the picture was taken at a crowded public event, such as the Folsom Street Fair or Dore Alley Fair. Then you don't have to worry about everyone in the picture. Any readily identifiable person in such a crowd can and will be digitally obscured by you or by me. You are responsible for obtaining any permission from "Interested Parties". After sending me the photo(s) mail the Consent Form below. “Interested Parties” include each and every person who poses for the photograph, the photographer and any persons who happen to be in the background setting and are readily recognizable. (Usually those inadvertently photographed in the background, can be digitally blurred out, in which case their permission will not be required.)
· Confidentiality will be respected and your identity will not be disclosed to anyone without your express written permission. The only exception will be if you send me a photo of an apparent actual crime scene (and I mean something serious like snuff or kiddie porn). If in doubt, don't send it.
· Highest consideration will be given to those photos which are, in my humble and omnipotent opinion, artistic, of good technical quality and original. I have a special preference for symmetrical marks, several stripes at close to the same angle or a radial pattern. But if you think what you have is good, send it in.
· Send photos as e-mail attachments using any common digital photo format, including gif, jpg, bmp, tif and pic. I recommend a minimum of compression or none at all. If you have no way of scanning, write to me by e-mail and we'll see if we can work out something.
· I may alter photos, either by cropping, blurring out details, altering size, changing brightness and contrast or adding compression. I may display them on this site in such altered form until I receive a demand from the sender or other "Interested Party" requesting that any such photos be removed. I will remove them in a timely fashion (within a couple of days). I will not create composites or change the general form of any work. I will not give permission to any other person or group to display downloads from this site anywhere else. However, I shall be held blameless and harmless should anyone do that without permission.
_____________________(Print out and detach here)_____________________________
The Consent Form: (It's all about consent, you know that.)
I, ______________________________________________________________________
(Name)
Have legally and ethically obtained any and all photographs which I have
transmitted to the
Operator of Mark of the Lash and hereby grant him permission to display
any such
photograph(s) on that Internet Web Site known as Mark of the Lash.
I declare that any or all persons involved in the production of any such
photograph(s)
was (were), at the time of production, at least 21 years of age and that any
and all activities
involving flogging, whipping, or caning which resulting in welting, bruising,
cutting and/or
scarification was consensual on the part of all parties involved, including the
photographer.
I have obtained permission of all persons photographed and of the photographer
to have
the (these) photograph(s) displayed on the Mark of the Lash web site.
Each and every
person photographed, the photographer and/or I are the "Interested
Parties". Each Interested
Party shall retain the right to notify the Operator of the Mark of the Lash
to, in a
timely manner, remove from display any photograph to which they are an
Interested Party.
I further understand that the Operator of Mark of the Lash will not,
unless otherwise stipulated,
disclose any information to anyone about me nor any other Interested Party
except to the proper
authorities in the event of a criminal investigation. Further, neither I nor
any other Interested Party
relinquish any rights I (we) may have to use, sell, distribute or post this
(these) photograph(s)
elsewhere at my (our) own discretion.
Because it is practically impossible to prevent persons from downloading and
distributing
web site material without authorization, I hold the operator of Mark of the
Lash harmless
and blameless should anyone do this without his permission. However, it is
clearly understood
that the Operator of Mark of the Lash shall not and will not grant such
permission without my
consent, and only then after I have received permission from any or all
Interested Parties.
__________________________________________ _____________________
(Signature) (Date)
Mail this form to:
Leatherback
P.O. Box 1179
Ben Lomond, CA 95005