Honorable Mention

Revised 6/24/24 Moved Scandinavian material to new page

Having presented the interesting Special Topics, we should probably address the less interesting.  With apologies, here they are.

Topic 1: Good But Not Good Enough

Here are some on-topic, genuine, relevant photos that just didn’t seem to be good enough to post. This is my attempt to give these orphans their day to let the reader pass on their merit.

This is a trio of companion shots from the Toronto YMCA in 1915 that led off the “Are They or Aren’t They (Nude)?” topic of the Special Topics posting. As with those predecessor photos, the photographer as striven to hide those pesky penises, despite the obvious nudity of his subjects.

In the first two posed shots, he has achieved that, but then he decided to go for broke with an unscripted action shot.   The guy behind the lens relied on the dense shadows of this back-lit image to keep him out of trouble.  Alas, the boy second from the right on the deck confounded his attempts by a clear display of precocious penile development. Moreover, the sparse light seems to glint off the bare glans of a circumcised member! As they said in Jurassic Park: “Nature finds a way.”

We’re back in the Bloomington, IL YMCA for a swimming lesson.  You will recall that this institution was prominently and extensively featured in the Swimming Lessons posting. These are more of the same, dated 1944. The composition of these images is not as interesting as their previously-posted companions – hence their initial exclusion. The nudity of the participants is not in question based on previous data.  In these offerings it is clear that the skin tones above and below the water are consistent, reaffirming that nude swimming was being practiced here as well.

This unattributed image is pretty typical of the YMCA swimming lessons of our era of interest: suited instructor overseeing a klatch of boys.  Based on the subsurface appearance of the nearest student, there is no evidence that the class is turned out in other than their skins.

We’re back at the Fox Point Boys’ Club in Providence, RI. These two undated photos are companions to the one presented in The Good posting.  These images of multi-racial groups of boys enjoying the same swimming accommodations may have captured an oasis of inclusiveness in a generally more segregated society at the time.  For our purposes, however, it makes it clear that institutionalized nude male swimming was alive and well in this era.  Any doubts can be dispelled by referring to the boy in the second photo who is perched on the edge of the pool (second from the left) leaning on his knees.  That which pertains to his boyhood is visible between his incompletely closed legs.

If you’ve searched for images of vintage nude male swimming, you probably ran into this photo multiple times. I initially dismissed it as an example of informal skinny dipping in shabby circumstances.  Revisiting it, I realize that the scene is posed and that the poses are reminiscent of the swimming instruction images of the early 20^th century.  We might be looking in on an organized instruction session, perhaps under some organization’s auspices. The absence of an instructor might indicate that he is the photographer.

For reference, we have a documented example of swimming instruction held in a river as the last image in the Swimming Lessons posting.

Topic 2: Noteworthy Skinny-Dipping Scenes

Since topic of this website is historical organized (institutional) nude male swimming, casual skinny-dipping, whether indoors in a pool or outdoors in a river, is off-topic.  However, those who have paged through this site know that I have periodically succumbed to the temptation to include those types of images.  In my defense, some of those photos are just very engaging.

Here are some I’ve been holding onto for a while.

This image comes to us from the Library of New South Wales (Australia).  It is from the McPherson Family collection and captures a scene from the early 20^th century.  The figures are young adult males (although the three heads in the water may belong to boys) enjoying aquatic recreation in a coastal area.  The variety of bathing attire is the story here.  There is a fully dressed man, a guy in a tank suit, one in trunks and three nude.  The one nude figure favors us with a full frontal.

It must be pointed out that there is some sort of patch on the upper left-hand corner which may be a repair or may be hiding something (like embedded text?).  Also it should be noted that this image contains metadata.  It is not the sort of data that indicates alteration.  It may be associated with the scanning software that translated this hard copy image to digital format.

This very low res image was lifted from a 1975 book relating the history of the Delaware and Raritan Canal which crossed northern New Jersey. The figures are probably those of boys availing themselves of the cooling effect of the canal waters, or perhaps a stream flowing below the canal’s elevated structure.  The text is mostly unintelligible, but a few words can be made out.  Take away is that these males are engaged in nude recreation and it all seems perfectly natural (pun intended).

A notation on another print of this picture attributed it to the East River in New York City but is undated.  It captures a large group of naked boys enjoying the waters of what appears to be a dirty and dangerous industrial location. Two of the boys are reacting to the presence of the camera. The one in the center of the image presenting a full frontal is wearing a hat and holding an object aloft. 

This image comes from the University of Texas San Antonio Libraries Special Collection.  It depicts what looks like a group of teenage boys pausing in their swim for a picture.  The year is 1905. The location is the San Saba River. The San Saba is reported to lie in an “undeveloped” natural area.  Looks like not much has changed in over 100 years. Finding it on the map confirms that it is a long way from anywhere.

The highlight of this image is the boy second from the right whose penis is breaking the surface of the water, frustrating the photographer’s careful staging.

The City of Toronto Archives yielded this image from July, 1922. The location is given as the Humber River near Old Mill. It is an interesting assembly of swimming costumes from the era: tank suits, what appears to be an early version of the brief and, of course, skin. The lad with his bare derriere pointing toward the camera may not be alone in his choice of raiment.  His fellows who are neck-deep may be hiding from the camera in water that is apparently only wading depth.

The shadowed figure in the foreground may be the most unique inclusion.  It is apparently a girl. I suggest that her hairdo is of the chin-length variety that has been variously called that pageboy or blunt cut.  It was favored for small girls over decades. In the 1920’s it was a popular look for adult women. The fact that she is daintily addressing the water to avoid wetting her too-long clothes (is that a tucked-up skirt?) while remaining on the periphery of the action bolsters my case.

The scene is the Grand Union Canal in London in 1905 where boys are dealing with the summer heat as boys did back then.  They are under the approving eye of many an envious passerby.  The arresting element of this image is the long horizontal pipe running along the water’s edge. It is perforated to allow streams of water to drain into the canal.  I’d like to think that is clean tap water, but somehow I doubt it. It is the sort of configuration that is used to disperse waste water into a flowing stream.  Back then, no one would have minded – least of all the unsuspecting boys.

This scene is from the seacoast around Dorset, England.  It is the site of an old quarry that was situated on a natural harbor. In the early 20^th century, after the quarrying had ceased, some prep schools in the area blasted a hollow into the rocky ledge to form a swimming pool. That was necessary because swimming in the sea there was impossibly dangerous.   This undated photo may be from that era, although there appears to be mixed-gender patronage on this day. Nevertheless, the young males seem to be availing themselves of the opportunity for nude recreation, mixed company notwithstanding.

This is the title of what is apparently a fine art photo from England dated 1886.  It comes from the collection of the LA County Museum of Art.

The description on this says “boys in Naples 1870” (in French).  Looks like there is a fully dressed little girl in the midst of the group.  Are one of the boys supposed to babysitting his sister?

One take away from this obviously old but undated photo is that photographic technology at the time wasn’t up to freezing the action clearly.  Nevertheless, the effort bore fruit for us by confirming that these lucky lads were engaged in nude recreation.

The inscription misspells “Bark River” which these days is a scenic boating destination.  Merton, Wisconsin is the site of a dam, so this may be a manmade lake. The role of the adult in the frame is unclear.  He’s holding some sort of pole, so maybe he’s the lifeguard.

As I have noted in previous posts, an image sporting this watermark is usually the identifier of an unpublished photo from the LIFE magazine archives.  Indeed, the clarity and excellent composition tends to validate that source.  The problem is that this was free-floating on the internet with no attribution and it doesn’t comport with any of the know major articles of interest to us.  It could be that a LIFE photographer on assignment turned aside to collect this image on the off chance that it could be used somewhere.

This very interesting image is unattributed. Except for the guy posturing as a diver, everyone is giving their full attention to the camera. This appears to be a staged shot, perhaps an artistic effort.

It also appears to be very old, based on the clothing – especially of the older gentlemen at the tiller – and the down-the-middle part in the center guy’s hair. It is likely not much if any later than 1900.  I would not be surprised to learn that it dates to the 1890s.

Topic 3: Dear Old Boston

Through the first half of the 20^th century, Boston was known as the bastion of officially enforced public morality.  The local censors regularly banned “obscene” printed material, movies and performances from being purveyed there.  The phrase “Banned in Boston” was so familiar that it became a punch-line for some and a badge of honor for others.

Relating to our topic, all of the YMCA photos that I’ve seen from that region during that era show everyone suited up – a marked deviation from other parts of the country. Surviving outdoor pictures, though, tell a quirky story.

The following images are from Digital Commonwealth of Massachusetts, an organization that coordinates material dissemination from that state’s libraries.

Let’s start with some skinny dipping.

Here we are at the Dorchester mud flats south of Boston. The year is 1918. And there’s that pose again.  No clue what prompted the taking of these photos.

These guys are bathing in a water filled hulk of an old sailing ship in Chelsea Creek north of Boston. We’re now in 1938. Despite its name, the “creek” was a navigable waterway that had active piers back in the day. 

The remarkable aspect of this scene is the mix of raiment chosen by the participants in this informal aquatic recreation: some are fully clothed, some are in swimming trunks and some are nude.  Remarkable enough? Wait, the naked guy in the lower left has a bald head.

Here are a few more photos from that same occasion.

The bathhouses of New York City were treated extensively in previous postings. Boston had their own version of these public accommodations.  While New York is located on two flowing rivers, the Boston area fronts on bays with beaches.

This is an image of the South Boston Bath House on a hot September day in 1915. The second most amazing fact about this photo (after getting over the photographer’s ability to get such a huge throng to “watch the birdie”) is the costumes of the participants. There is a guy in the lower left in a tank suite and several who are in various versions of trunks but there are many more who are in much briefer attire. Further back in the crowd, some men are turned back to camera showing bare buttocks.  These suits are apparently an early version of string bikinis. Although this is an all-adult male crowd, some sort of cover up was apparently required.

This is a view of the beach of the L Street Bath House in South Boston.  This iconic institution dates back to 1866 and is still in use today – albeit in a family friendly form. The period of this photo is between 1935 and 1975. At this time, the bath house facilities were divided into men’s, women’s and boys’ (right, no girls’) sections.  The stout rampart that is visible in the background of this shot shows how serious the authorities were about segregating the sexes – either that or they were concerned about a possible assault by a squadron of battle tanks.

On the men’s side, the universal uniform of the day is clearly the proto-string bikini introduced in the previous image. No trunks for this crowd. Bare buttocks all the way.

The following images are all from the L Street facility in this same time period.

This image captures the activity taking place on the patio of the bath house.  Apparently, table games are in progress. The participants certainly have some skin in the game.  Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

These are the sights looking toward the water’s edge.  From this angle, those bikinis are not very flattering. I guess they’re not right for every body type.

By the way, each of these cute little bikinis has a numbered metal tag. They were issued by the bath house. One has to wonder about the hygienic issues involved in reissuing these loin rags from user to user.  How do you insure that genital maladies are not passed on from one patron to another?

The exact time and place of this scene are not called out except for “Boston Beach 1917-1934.” We are apparently looking at the boys’ section of the bathhouse complex, although there are obviously some men present (including one in a shirt and tie!).  The fun part is that the boys are not as respectful of dress codes.  If you look at individuals, you’ll spot everything from tank suits to nudes. Some of the bares are waving their suits over their heads.  A good time was had by all.

Apparently, not everyone hewed to the dress regulations.  Sometimes you have to step out from the crowd. Although this is allegedly from the same time and place as the other bath house pictures, these guys are attired in various swim costumes, none of which are the bikini style we’ve been seeing.

Before we say a fond farewell to the “home of the bean and the cod” we need to look at one more L Street picture.

Dead center in this image is something that doesn’t belong. The nude guy has obviously been added to the original photo from a more contemporary source. Since this photo comes from a library archive, you have wonder when and how it got added.

Topic 4 The UM Flounders

During the 1930s there was a curious lunch time ritual on the UM campus that was held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Some faculty members and occasional younger men would strip down to their birthday suits, do a few warm-up exercises and then participate in a pick-up game of naked water polo. In this game, however, the rules had been reduced to one: “Don’t get killed.”

The ensuing mayhem was documented in two articles that appeared in the alumni newsletter in 1931 and 1935 presented here. 

The participants were known as The Flounders – probably a reference to their flailing during the contest. The activity was begun in 1925 by none other than the intrepid Coach Mann. The ritual was apparently still going on when LIFE visited in 1938 and captured the action in this series of unpublished photos.

Note that this chokehold is being applied by a naked guy straddling his victim’s back bringing his genitalia into skin-on-skin contact.  These guys were apparently very good friends.

A typical contest was apparently caps vs. no caps.

The ball is visible in this shot, but I have never seen a goal net in any of the pictures.

Note the simultaneous head lock and dunk – qualifies as a double header.

Have you seen the ball?

I don’t think this is an affectionate embrace.

Apparently, hands-to-the-face is not discouraged.

I’m sure the two guys locked in an embrace is part of the game strategy.

He appears to be taking a shot with one hand while drowning his opponent with the other – a real competitor.

Ah, yes, the naked chokehold again.  Does anybody know where the ball is?  Or care?

Remarkably, The Flounders’ free form water polo mayhem was still being practiced in 2006 as a Friday night ritual. An account by a female lifeguard relating her experiences overseeing Flounders encounters appeared in the Michigan Daily – the University newspaper – on September 5, 2007. When she pinch-hit for the usual male lifeguard, she caused some consternation because the male participants had to wear swim suits – at variance with their usual practice. This means this activity had been in more or less continuous practice for more than 80 years – a venerable institution.

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