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. But, as far as I can tell, the Yale photos are not connected to Sheldon's work.
Here are five more posture photos taken at Yale that I had the opportunity to acquire. For privacy reasons, I redact the names of men who might still be alive. Three of these men have passed away, so their names are not redacted.
This is Yale freshman Peter Allaire Farbach on Oct. 16, 1953.
An article in the Journal of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation described how in spring, 1952, Yale installed an apparatus using mirrors to produce "PhotoMetric" posture photos like this showing front, rear, side and top views.
This is Yale freshman J.F. on Oct. 9, 1953.
This is a Yale freshman, also with initials J.F., on Oct. 14, 1953.
Note the strange pins stuck to each student's back and chest. The pins were stuck on at specific points for later posture analysis. 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 Owen William Farley on Oct. 16, 1953.
This is Yale freshman Alexander England on Oct. 20, 1953.
Were these photos an invasion of privacy for the students? By today's standards, yes. By the standards of the day, not so much. In that era, guys were routinely naked around each other in locker rooms and in swimming pools when women weren't present. Being asked to strip and even being photographed naked as part of a posture examination would not seem too outrageous, since the staff conducting this was all-male (and remember that Yale was an all-male school).
16 comments:
very interesting!
I never tire of looking at these nude Yale 18-year olds. Owen William Farley and Alexander England are my favorites. I would have gladly volunteered to place the adhesive pins on their bodies, as they stood there butt-ass naked waiting to be photographed. Keep these photos coming!
Hmmm.. they are two magnificent examples!
IF I would be photographed like those ones at 18yo, I was more like a 13yo boy with no hair and a very skinny body.
I've always had issues to be taken as an «adult» even at 21-23yo because I have no body hair, no beard and a twink look.
Which made me some problem when to go to a bar. I often had to show my IDs as I looked like a 14yo boy.
I always enjoy these!
I look at these so closely, so I noticed that the last guy holds his hands in a way that blocks the side view of his dick and balls, unlike the others. And he seems to be wearing a wedding ring! Lucky woman. The fourth guy MIGHT be uncut, which I much prefer. Thanks for these — there is something very erotic about them.
I also never tire of seeing these posture photos -- either Yale, or military, or any other institution. Thx, Larry.
@JiEL .... I can relate to what your said about yourself, altho I do have some body hair (not a lot).
@Wanderlust - The advantage of these 4-way posture photos is that even if the guy blocks our view of him from the side, there's still a front view. I'm guessing Alexander England's ring is a signet ring or something similar, because he's a freshman, which even in the 1950s was awfully young to be married.
Very fascinating and very sexy post. I just posted your link on my own blog. Fascinating story, great photographs! :-)
I wonder how many students were photographed at any one time. I just have visions of 50 or so students reporting to the gymnasium, standing quietly on the gym floor, when an assistant worker appears and says, "Good afternoon. Please take off all your clothes, then step over to this table as we place pins on your chest and back." The parade of nude young men would then proceed to walk through the building until they reached the photo room. This would make a great movie!
I am very sure that the photographer and his aids thoroughly enjoyed doing this work. Maybe 'work' isn't really descriptive of this project. I would love to have been part of the crew. Barring that, I would have quite willingly allowed them to photograph me.
@Anonymous - Your vision of the process is pretty much what really happened. An article in the Yale Alumni Magazine by an alumnus who was a freshman in 1953 (when these photos were taken) said that they were told to report to Yale's enormous Payne Whitney gymnasium building (it's 9 stories tall), where they were sent to the lockers, told to disrobe, and then led naked to another part of the building where they waited naked in line. Then one at a time, each student had the pins taped to his back and chest and went into a room where his photo was taken.
Thank you.
If the Internet is correct, Peter Allaire Farbach is my 8th cousin, by marriage.
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Farbach-5
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44383422/peter-a-farbach
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GK4Q-8VC
This is probably Alexander England's grave in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72819871/alexander-england
Also: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GKCH-JFK
I can't find if we are related.
@jimboylan - That is definitely Alexander England's grave. The website for the Yale class of 1957 listed him as having died on April 7, 2008.
@Wanderlust @Unashamed Male - Agree that even though the young man in the fourth photo has subtly positioned his hand to cover his dick and balls, the four different photo angles still give a good view of him from the front. Also, an advantage to his hand positioning in the side view is that it gives us a better view of the curve of his bare ass - pretty nice in his case. The normal hand position in the side view makes it harder to appreciate in the other guys imo.
Post a Comment