Early examples can be found in vintage fetish magazines or works by "old masters" like John Willie and Eric Stanton , who established the foundational "grammar of the pose" still used by modern illustrators.
The "Men's Adventure" magazines often featured "Femmes Fatales." While the male was often the hero, specific covers depicted him in peril or being punished by a villainess, planting the seeds for the aesthetic. F M Spanking Art
The roots of this imagery are found in several distinct historical areas: Early examples can be found in vintage fetish