Ivy League Posture Photos - Part 62

Ivy League Posture Photos

Yale started taking nude photos of incoming freshmen in 1919 as part of a program to detect and correct posture problems.  The Yale photos have erroneously been associated with William Sheldon, a psychologist at Harvard and author of Nazi-like eugenic theories who used Harvard nude posture photos to illustrate his theory of somatypes.  The Yale program predates Sheldon, and, as far as I can tell, the Yale photos were never connected to Sheldon's work.

Here are posture photos of nine more Yale students that I had the opportunity to acquire.

This is Yale freshman James Wilson Rayen on November 3, 1953.

In 1952, Yale installed an apparatus using mirrors to photograph the front, rear, side and top view.

This is Yale freshman J. J. on October 7, 1953.

Note the strange pins stuck to each student's back and chest.

This is Yale freshman John Rodney Jonas on October 7, 1953.

The pins were stuck on at specific points for later posture analysis.

This is Yale freshman Robert Clifton McCollough on January 31, 1951.

Photos taken before 1952 show only a side view.

This is Yale freshman William Howard McEachen on January 31, 1951.

Supposedly, by examining the angles formed by connecting the points where the pins touched the body, certain posture problems could be detected.

This is Yale freshman Harry Bruce Mahoney on March 6, 1951.

If posture problems were detected, the student had to attend remedial posture sessions, and a second posture photo was taken.

This is Yale freshman J. W. on January 12, 1951.

The photography and analysis of the photos was conducted by the staff of Yale's Payne Whitney Gymnasium.

This is Yale freshman H. Stewart Dunn on October 16, 1947.

Nobody outside the gymnasium staff saw the photos.  The photos were not published for other students to see.

This is Yale freshman Harry Richard Schumacher on October 20, 1947.

The posture photo program was discontinued in the 1960s, and later, most of the photos were burned.  However, some of the photos escaped burning, including the photos that I have been showing in this series.

*          *          *

Note: some of my followers consider these photos an invasion of privacy for the students.  To protect the privacy of the students, I redact the names of students who may still be alive.  I only publish the names of students who have died.  Legally, the right to privacy does not extend beyond death, i.e. it does not extend to spouses and relatives of the deceased person.

I consider these photos to be a historical record of the time.  Almost all of the Ivy League posture photos were burned when their existence became widely known.  In my opinion, that was akin to book-burning of books that someone claimed were obscene.  These photos are not obscene.  They should be celebrated, not hidden away.

Bodybuilders - Part 35

 David Asnis

David Asnis (1911-1977) was a bodybuilder in the 1930s and 1940s.  As a part-time men's fashion model, he met photographer Al Urban, who was just starting his career.  Legend has it that David is the one who suggested that Al should take and distribute nude male photos, and the rest is history.  David became one of Al's favorite models.

All of today's photos of David Asnis are by Al Urban.  Above, Asnis on the cover of a 1961 French physique magazine.

Asnis had an impressive muscular physique, but he was notoriously small in one respect.

But to make up for that shortcoming, he had rather impressive balls.

A pose with classical columns.

A thoughtful pose.

Another classical pose, with Roman sword and shield.

We end with this rare rear view.  I got this photo from Vintage Muscle Men, which has run quite a few posts featuring Davis Asnis.  Thanks, Jerry!

Ads - Part 81

 Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand ran a commercial in 2009 touting that their fares have "nothing to hide", i.e. they were all-inclusive.  Above is an excerpt from the Nothing to Hide commercial.  Note that the uniforms are painted on.  Although they don't show a frontal view, they do show a rear view.

Here's a screen grab showing the rear view of the painted-on uniforms.

Hiking - Part 82

 Naked European Walking Tour 2025

The Naked European Walking Tour (NEWT) is a one-week naked hike usually held in the Austrian Alps.  My blog follower and contributor Natfree Pascal, who lives in France, is one of the organizers of this event.  Above: Pascal, at left, and his friend Lim from Singapore, a frequent participant in NEWT hikes, with alpine scenery behind them.

One of the conditions of signing up for a NEWT hike is that you agree that they can publish photos and videos of you naked.  This hike is for people who are unashamed.

The group visits a waterfall.  Click on these photos for larger views.

Hiking above an alpine village.

Another waterfall.

Hiking through the woods.

A group photo at a stream crossing.  Pascal is at left.

At a stream in the Zillertal (Ziller valley).  This guy from the Netherlands has participated in several NEWT hikes.  He has a Twitter page under the name @naked_hiker.

The event includes food and lodging.  Kitchen duty rotated among the participants.  Above, Pascal and a helper.

We end with a group photo in front of the lodge where they stayed.  Pascal is at front left.  Altogether there were 37 participants from 18 countries.

Events - Part 83

Koktebel Neptune Day

Neptune Day is a local one-day festival held in August on a nude beach in Koktebel, on the Crimean peninsula, which was once part of Ukraine but was taken over by Russia in 2014.

Above, Neptune and some admirers in 2015.

Many festival participants are body-painted.  The guy above chose a botanical theme, with his penis becoming the stem of a plant.

I should note that all the photos of this event concentrated heavily on the nude women.  The men were incidental.  I found some photos showing men, but there are females in all of the photos.

Someone getting body-painted.

Another look at Neptune and some friends in 2015.

The guy on the left in the previous photo with some younger companions.

Another Neptune, presumably in a different year.

The guy who was at left in the previous photo and some other companions.

More painted bodies.

This guy has painted-on wings, but he isn't an angel, because one of the wings and half his face is black (the other half is white).  Paintings of the Devil often show him with black wings, because he's a fallen angel.  I think this guy is portraying himself as half angel, half devil.

We end with a video of the crowd at the 2017 festival.

Daylight Savings Time

 Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time starts today.

Time to spring forward one hour ...

unless you live in Hawaii, like I do, or in Arizona.  These states don't observe Daylight Savings Time, so this is what I need to do today.  Nothing.

Weighing In -- Part 83

Bobo Olson

Carl 'Bobo' Olson (1928-2002) was an American boxer who won the World Middleweight championship in 1953.  In 1955 he lost the title to Sugar Ray Robinson.  On May 18, 1956 Olson and Robinson fought a rematch, photographed by Allan Grant for LIFE magazine.

Above, Robinson (left) and Olson (right) shake hands.  Robinson is clearly not actually weighing in, since he is wearing shoes and socks.

Grant's photos show Robinson getting naked, though it's not clear whether it's for the weigh-in.

We only get an oblique view of Robinson's rear.

Here's Olson weighing in.  He must have been over the limit, because we see him next without his shorts.

An official held up a modesty cloth, but photographer Allan Grant was positioned to get a good view.  LIFE did not publish male frontal nudity, so this photo was never published, but it is in the LIFE archives.

Sugar Ray Robinson won this rematch.  Bobo Olson ended his career with 97 wins and 16 losses.