The earliest erotic films date back to the 1890s, with the rise of silent cinema. These short, titillating films were often shown in brothels, nickelodeons, or as part of vaudeville performances. As cinema evolved, so did the content of erotic films. The 1920s and 1930s saw the emergence of more explicit films, often masquerading as educational or scientific content. The 1960s and 1970s, with the relaxation of censorship laws, marked a significant turning point for the genre, with films like "Blow Job" (1963) and "The Lickerish Quartet" (1970) gaining notoriety.