World War II - The Home Front, 1941-1942
LIFE magazine photographers covered the home front as well as the battle fronts. The third photo was used in the magazine; the others were not.
In 1941, the U.S. was still officially neutral (war had started in Europe in 1939). but everyone know the war was coming. Among other measures, the U.S. instituted a peacetime draft at the end of 1940. Those who refused to serve for religious reasons (such as Quakers) were sent to conscientious objector camps where they performed alternative service such as working in dairies and building dams and irrigation projects.
LIFE photographer Thomas McAvoy photographed some members of one such camp in the shower, above, in 1941.
Shipbuilding also ramped up before the U.S. officially entered the war. These civilian workers were photographed as part of a photo series on "Gulf Shipbuilding" by George Strock in 1941. Note that they're not using the shower curtains. Men of that era felt no need to hide from each other (or, evidently, from the photographer) while showering.
After Pearl Harbor, of course, things ramped up even more. This photo was part of a series on "Hawaii at War" by LIFE photographer Ralph Morse. The photo was actually published in the magazine (see below).
Here's the page from the May 11, 1942 issue of LIFE containing a flipped version of the photo. The article was about the military in Hawaii guarding against another possible Japanese attack. Note that showing a male butt in a family magazine was not a big deal at the time.
This is from a photo series called Surf Float Exercise by LIFE photographer Joe Scherschel in October 1942. It showed troops training in Kauai, Hawaii. Some of the men have swimsuits, but at least one, the guy at left, doesn't, and nobody cares.
5 comments:
Even in the 70s guys didn't much care about being seen naked around the barracks. I can't imagine being as uptight about nudity as today's young men.
right!
It's not about nudity per se. It's the risk of a cell phone. Not made any better by boomers and xers lamenting that we should be naked.
They're there. It's a fact of life.
Love that in the second picture, even though there are curtains they only separate the men from the rest of the room. With curtains closed the guys are still wide open to each other.
Post a Comment