Why Eric Gill would have enjoyed the 3D-printed dildo as much in principle as in practice

‘At the Sign of the Cross in St James’s Street,
When next you go thither to make yourselves sweet
By buying of powder, gloves, essence, or so,
You may chance to get a sight of Signior Dildo.’

So wrote John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, in 1673. But the era of having to go to St James’s Street to buy dildos appears to be drawing to a close: the Daily Mail reports that owners of 3D printers can now design and make their own, thanks to a website that lets users ‘create different shapes and adjust the height, curviness, colour and angle of the toys to make a 3D model’. With a suitable printer, they can then produce their own silicon sex toys, ‘the likes of which may not be on offer at places such as Ann Summers’.

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I can’t help wondering what the great Eric Gill would have made of this.