Estonian Photos - Part 30

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.

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 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.

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.

One other clue to the time frame of these photos is that in a previous batch, 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.

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.

Although these appear to be military recruits, these may not not be 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?

A more likely possibility is that the photos were taken by academics.  Scientists at the Institute of Anatomy were doing studies to try 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 "research".

Vintage Military - Part 75

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Olympic Photos by Paul Richer - Part 2b

 Olympic Photos by Paul Richer, Part 2b

Yesterday some of you wondered how Paul Richer was able to get so many Olympic athletes to pose nude in 1900.  I did a little digging, and this is what I found.

As part of the 1900 Paris Olympics, a Commission on Hygiene and Physiology was created to study the athletes, to determine the effects of various sports on bodily functions, respiration, blood circulation, digestion, and general health.  Further, the Commission was to study the various sports themselves, attempt to understand their mechanisms, and uncover the secret of superiority of certain athletes.  Quite an assignment!

Remember, the 1900 Paris Olympics was only the second Olympics in modern times (the first was the Athens Olympics in 1896), so sports physiology was a new idea.

The Commission was headed by French physiologist Étienne-Jules Marey, who was renowned for photographing and studying human movement, much like his contemporary Eadweard Muybridge was doing in the U.S.  And like Muybridge, Marey photographed many of his subjects naked.  He invented a camera that took multiple images on film at even intervals; however, he couldn't play back the images with even timing (a problem solved later by Thomas Edison).  The gif above is from photos that Marey took called Homme Qui Marche (Man Walking), c. 1890.

As head of the Commission, Marey took many series of photos (mini-movies) of the Olympic athletes.  Most of them were clothed or at least wore jockstraps, but one athlete was captured performing in the nude, throwing what looks like a shot put overhand (above) ...

and underhand.  Unfortunately, we don't know the name of this athlete.

And what about Paul Richer?  He was also on the same Commission, and he was tasked with taking anthropomorphic photos of the athletes.  To Richer, that meant nude photos.

Because this was an official Olympic commission, almost all the athletes who were asked to participate did so.  The result, in addition to Marey's little movie sequences, was that Richer took about 300 nude photos of Olympic athletes, including the photos that I will be showing in this series.

Next time: more Paul Richer Olympic athlete photos.

Olympic Photos by Paul Richer - Part 2

 Olympic Photos by Paul Richer, Part 2

We continue our series of nude photographs by Paul Richer of athletes in the 1900 Paris Olympics.

We start with British runner Edgar Bredin (1868-1934), above.  Bredin won gold medals in three races (100, 400, and 1500 meters) in a single day.

Here are Paul Richer's photos of Edgar Bredin, front view ...

rear view ...

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

Jean Broka (born 1879) from Belgium competed as a cyclist and also as a runner.

Here is Jean Broka, front view ...

rear view ...

and side view.

Yngvar Bryn (1881-1947), at left above with his wife Alexia and Richard Johansson, was a Norwegian sport pioneer.  After winning silver medals as a runner in the Norwegian Athletic Championships at age 18, he represented Norway as a runner in the 1900 Olympics.  In 1908 he switched to figure skating, and with his wife won national figure skating championships 11 times.

Performers - Part 70

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Hiking - Part 69

Summer Solstice
Naked Hiking Day

Naked Hiking Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on the summer solstice, which is usually June 21, but the solstice falls on June 20 in the U.S. this year.

Today we look at another hike by Jim Bornholdt, above.  A few years ago, after a cancer diagnosis, Jim decided to embrace the idea of naked hiking, which he had done a few times before.  For him, shedding his clothes was symbolic of shedding fears and negative baggage.  He calls it "forest bathing", and he relishes the freedom of going into and out of the sunshine and feeling the forest energy across his skin.

He lives in Connecticut, but he found that public nudity is legal in Vermont (as long as you don't engage in "lewd and lascivious conduct"), and Vermont has many wonderful hiking trails, so he began hiking the Vermont trails naked and publishing photos of his hikes on his blog called Baring It All in the Woods.

Jim did this hike on June 21, 2023, which was Naked Hiking Day.  The hike went along a section of the Appalachian Trail.  Above, Jim with buddies Scott and Dana at the trailhead.

Because it was Naked Hiking Day, a whole group of people accompanied Jim on the naked hike.  Above, the group in the parking lot for the trail.

This section of the Appalachian Trail is also part of Vermont's Long Trail, which runs the length of Vermont from the Massachusetts border up to the Canadian border.

The goal of this hike was to hike to Little Rock Pond, about 5 miles, and back again.

Here's part of the group of naked hikers refreshing themselves after they reached the pond.

And here's more of the group.  Happy Naked Hiking Day!

Photographers - Part 70

 Cock Shadows

Big Dude, who follows my blog, appreciates penis shadows.  We've seen some in the past, but I have more, so that's the subject of today's post.  Big Dude, this post is for you.

Above, an outdoor cock shadow photo, photographer unknown.

This photo shows the shadow of a cock that's actually dripping a bit of cum.

And this one, from Gay Man in the High Desert, goes even further.

This nice cock shadow was attributed to "fotografo Italiano".  He is probably photographer Giovanni dall'Orto, who has been known to do other cock shadow photos.

An unusual shadow because it's lit from below.

The shadow of a gesture that has become known as the "Folsom handshake".

This photo was labeled "Playing with my shadow."

A photo of Scott O'Hara by David Lebe, 1990, has a horizontal shadow.

"Shadowy Doorway" by Thomas Brown from the New Hampshire Institute of Art's Teti Library.

"Shadow Cock."  Photographer unknown.

"Wall Shadow with Pubes."  Photographer unknown.  I like this one because of the very detailed shadow of the hair.

We end with this shadow of some activity in a tent.  I got this from Vellohomo.  Gracias, Franco!