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Friday, May 21, 2021

Early 19th Century, Part 1 - Photos by Durieu


The heading for part one of today's double feature is a bit misleading.  The photos by Durieu in it date from mostly about 1854-55, which is mid-century.  It is, however, about as early as you can get in the 19th Century for male nude photography, although there are one or two earlier examples.  Four out of five of today's photos are of the same exceptionally well built model.

 

7 comments:

  1. He is built nicely. I wonder what he did for a living that kept him in good shape. He seems to have been well nourished.

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    1. Probably some sort of physical labor that involved a lot of lifting.

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  2. Some of these early works are fascinating, but it is worth reflecting on the freedom that Durieu and his contemporaries - as well as his viewing public - had in 1855 compared with 1955.

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  3. How wonderfully still this model was to resolve so much detail on the insensitive 1854 photographic media. I wish we knew more about him. Presumably, from his excellent posing, a regular model.

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    1. Yes, the technical limitations make these even more impressive, and I was hoping you'd comment on his modeling skills. I couldn't tell if he was a "natural" or trained, but he didn't get those muscles posing all day.

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