Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 74

Ares or Mars

Ares was the Greek god of war, corresponding to the Roman god Mars.  Above, a very early Etruscan statue of Mars from the 5th century BC.  Mars is wearing a helmet with a flamboyant crest plus some kind of cuirass to protect his chest; however he apparently had no need to wear pants.

This statue of Ares from the 1st century BC was completely naked aside from some kind of helmet perched on his head to indicate that he's a warrior.  This became the standard representation of the god.

The Borghese Ares, now in the Louvre, circa 1st century AD.

Rear view of the Borghese Ares.  Again, he's naked except for a helmet.

This statue of Ares at Hadrian's Villa dates from the 2nd century.  He wears another helmet with a flamboyant crest.  Hadrian was the Roman Emperor from 117 to 138 AD, perhaps best remembered now for building Hadrian's Wall, which separated Roman Britain from the barbarians in Scotland.

Ares or Mars remained a popular subject for sculptors centuries later, perhaps because of the tradition of representing him naked.  This is the statue of Ares at the Doge's Palace in Venice, made in the 1550s.  The statue is on one side of an outdoor stairway, and from the stairway, Ares' privates are concealed by a sculpted cloth.  But from the other side, viewed above, the sculptor gave us a peekaboo view.

Bartolomeo Ammannati went back to the classic naked with a helmet representation in Mars Gradius, 1559.

This ironically titled statue is Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker by Canova, 1806.  Of course, Napoleon was a warmaker, not a peacemaker, conquering most of Europe, as Canova no doubt intended for us to understand by portraying him as the god of war.  The statue looks nothing like Napoleon, but it's a nice representation of Mars.  Unfortunately, it sports a fig leaf.

We end with Mars Restrained by Cupid by John Gibson, c. 1820.  No fig leaf here.  Can love restrain war?  It would be nice to think so, but I wouldn't count on it.

World Naked Bike Ride - Part 83

Manchester, England 2019

Today we look at the World Naked Bike ride held in Manchester, England on June 7, 2019.  Riders gathered in a park.

Some more riders gathering in the park.

This guy is painted with a message advocating safety for bicycle riders.  Safety is one of the two main goals that WNBR promotes.  The other is encouraging people to ride bikes instead of driving cars because cars emit pollutants that harm the environment.

This is decidedly not a standard WNBR message.  However, since he's naked and painted with rainbow stripes, I couldn't help wondering whether, if someone inserted a certain body part into him, he would find it inside him and say "God!"

In the background is one of my favorite unashamed males, whom we have seen before.

It's Laurence Barnes from Australia, who goes by the name FKK Lad.  The message on his chest says "I ❤️ FKK."  Laurence now lives in Berlin, Germany, and FKK is the German abbreviation for Freikörperkultur (free body culture), which refers to a nudist lifestyle.

He has participated in WNBR events in Manchester, England for several years.

Here he is before the ride with a fellow Australian.  The message on his back proclaims that he's from Down Under, and they both have Australian flags painted on their bodies and Australian flags on their bikes.

Then the ride began.

Here's FKK Lad riding.

We end with a video clip of FKK Lad and his Australian companion riding their bikes, viewed from behind.

Estonian Photos - Part 39

Estonian Photos

We continue our series of photos from the Tartu Ülikooli museum of anthropology in Estonia.

For those who haven't seen my previous posts in this series, a few words of explanation.  The museum provides no information about the men, other than the photos came from the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Tartu.  In particular, it does not say who these men are, or when or why the photos were taken.  However, the photos are labeled "Füüsilise antropoloogia pildistus" (physical anthropology photography).

Who are these men?  My best guess is that they are military recruits.  The very short haircuts suggest that these photos were taken during or shortly after the enlistment process.

Many of the men in this series have dark faces and hands.  Are they are tanned from working outside like farmers, or are they dirty from some dirty occupation?  We don't know.

Note: the dark faces and hands are not as visible in today's post as in some previous posts, but still faintly visible in some of the side views.  Perhaps the photos in today's post were taken in the winter, when farmers would not be spending as much time outside getting tanned.

When were the photos taken?  My best guess is between World War I and World War II, when Estonia was an independent country with its own military.  Before WWI, Estonia was part of the Russian Empire, and after WWII, Estonia was part of the Soviet Union until 1991.

A clue to the time frame is that these photographs were made on glass plates, not film.  Dry glass-plate photography started in 1871 and began to fall out of use in the 1920s.  I found some references to it in Estonia through the 1930s.

Since the use of glass plates fell out of use in the 1920s, I think the photos were most likely taken shortly after World War I.

One other clue to the time frame of these photos is that in two previous batches, one of the men is wearing a wristwatch.   Wristwatches were considered to be for ladies before World War I.  (Men used pocket watches.)  However, during the war, wristwatches proved very useful for soldiers and pilots.  After WWI, wristwatches came into fashion for men.

Although wristwatches were evidently rare in Estonia (only two men wore a wristwatch among the hundreds that were photographed), it suggests that these photos are post-World War I.

Although these appear to be military recruits, these are probably not military photos.  We know that the museum that currently has the photos got them from the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Tartu.  If these are military photos, why would they end up at the Institute of Anatomy?

I believe the photos were taken by academics doing a study of physical anthropology.  Scientists at the Institute of Anatomy were trying to measure what they considered racial characteristics of the population by measuring the body, including phrenology (measuring the skull), ideas which are now discredited.

I think that the scientists at the Institute of Anatomy may have persuaded the military to let them take photographs of the naked new recruits for "research" purposes.  I have no written evidence to support this idea, but since the photos were at the Institute of Anatomy, and the photo subjects appear to be military recruits, it's now my best guess as to what happened.

One other question that perennially arises from these photos is: why were the men photographed in pairs?  Was it to save film?

The answer is that these photos were made on glass plates, not film, but glass plates were more expensive and involved more labor than film, so yes, it's likely that the men were photographed in pairs to save on glass plates.

So, bottom line: My best guess is that these photos were taken after World War I, the subjects are new or recent Army recruits, and the Estonian military allowed scientists from the Institute of Anatomy to take photos of the naked recruits for a study of physical anthropology.

Boxing Day 2025

Boxing Day

In Britain and some Commonwealth countries, the day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day, much to the bemusement of Americans who imagine a holiday devoted to boxing matches.  Actually, the name originated from the custom of giving a "Christmas box" of money or small gifts to servants and tradesmen on the day after Christmas.  Nowadays, it's another shopping holiday.

But that doesn't mean we can't celebrate Boxing Day with photos of pugilists.

This nameless boxer, photographed in 1915, is in the Hungarian National Digital Archive.

Boxer Erich Brandl in 1925.

Boxer Arturo Godoy drying off in the locker room of Stillman's Gym, New York in 1937.  Photo by Robert Capa.

South African boxer Willie Toweel weighing in in 1952.

British boxer Terry Spinks (left) shaking hands with Johnny Mantle in 1962.

American boxer Bobby Hunter weighing in in 1972.

American boxer Oscar de la Hoya weighing in at Caesar's Palace in 1992.

British boxer Joe Murray checking his weight before weighing in at the Beijing Olympics, 2008.

OK, Boxing Day is not really about boxers.  We end with a clip that was taken on Boxing Day, 2019, of a non-boxer, Jack Daniel, in the bushes of Little Congwong Beach in Sydney, Australia.  Happy Boxing Day!

Not the Same Old Song - Part 71

Christmas

For Christmas this year, here's my version of the old favorite Deck The Halls.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Vintage Military - Part 84

Soviet Military Recruits

Today we look at some photos of Soviet army recruits.  Above, a medical board looks on as recruits are examined.

Another army medical board.  Despite the date 1910 written on the photo, the portrait of Stalin in the background tells us that this photo must date from the Stalinist era, 1924-1953.

Another military board with a huge portrait of Stalin in the background.

Another military board.  These photos are said to be from the 1930s.

And another military board.

This photo is dated 1931, which is presumably correct.

The same board as in the last photo, so this would also be from 1931.

We end with this undated photo of recruits lined up for their exam.

Olympic Photos by Paul Richer - Part 11

Olympic Photos by Paul Richer, part 11

We continue our series of nude photographs by Paul Richer of athletes in the 1900 Paris Olympics.  Richer was on an official Olympic commission to study the athletes.  Richer was responsible for taking nude anthropomorphic photos of the athletes, and since it was an official commission, almost all the athletes who were asked to participate did so.

We start with Italian cyclist Giuseppe Singrossi, above.

Here are Paul Richer's photos of Giuseppe Singrossi, front view ...

side view ...

and rear view.

Disclosure: I have removed yellowing from Richer's photos and brightened them.

This is Swedish athlete Gustaf Söderström.  He competed in shot put and discus throw, and he was on the Swedish tug-of-war team that won a gold medal.

Here are Richer's photos of Söderström, front view ...

side view ...

and rear view.

Swedish athlete Karl Gustaf Staaf, shown standing at left above, competed in multiple sports: pole vault, triple jump, discus throw, and hammer throw, and he was on the Swedish tug-of-war team that won a gold medal.

Here are Richer's photos of Staaf, front view ...

side view ...

and rear view.

I could not find any photos of Italian runner Francesco Stobbione aside from Richer's nude photos, so I have substituted a photo of other runners in the 1500 meter race in the Paris Olympics, in which Stobbione competed.

Here are Richer's photos of Stobbione, front view ... 

side view ...

and rear view.

Next time: more Paul Richer Olympic athlete photos.