Keith Vaughan (1912-1977) was a British painter who was used his own photography as the basis for some of his art. As a gay man who came of age in the first half of the 20th Century, Vaughan struggled with his sexuality, particularly in view of the legal climate of the time. He wrote in his journal in 1965, "It is difficult to bear in mind that with all one's honours, distinctions, successes etc, one remains a member of the criminal class." Terminally ill with cancer, Vaughan committed suicide in his studio while writing in that journal. Today is Keith Vaughan day on the blog,
and this photo of him was taken by Francis Goodman in 1947.
Indeed laws were very harsh in UK regarding homosexuality and the gays had to wait till the end of the 1960s to have the 'criminal' status removed , a shame !
ReplyDeleteIt took about 30 years longer for nation wide reform in the USA although some states changed the laws sooner.
DeleteA very sad commentary on human psychology of the times. That he killed himself while battling terminal cancer was one more crime he committed - another sad commentary of the times. Yet, we still face the same issues today with the extreme religious right (on both counts) pushing their beliefs into legislatures across the U.S. I, for one, hope they fail miserably.
ReplyDeleteI'm proud that my state of Hawaii has passed an assisted suicide law for the terminally ill. We've had gay rights for some time now.
DeleteThank you for publishing this material by and about Keith Vaughan! His art work of both the nude and clothed male has been a personal inspiration. It deserves to be better known.
ReplyDeleteYou are more than welcome!
DeleteVintage Muscle Men! Thanks for all the photos posted! For me, the theme of retro photos of nude guys is very interesting and new.
DeleteYou're welcome, Pavel! Doing this makes me happy.
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