Heinrich Eickmann

Today we will look at some photos from Heinrich Eickmann's 1890 book, Akte, the cover page for which appears above.  What you see below is an example of the online sales promos from which I have gleaned many of today's images.  (More about that later in the series.)  I've processed and improved these as much as I resonably could, but I would love it if any of you have better versions or the ability to find them.  One word of caution, however, would be that internet searches for this artist typically turn up a lot of entries for a notorious Nazi war criminal with a very similar name.

 

Flute man?

This may be the same Eickmann model who posed with a flute in photos I posted earlier.

 

Crappy scan

I think some of the online resellers have figured out that some of us are downloading the photos, and thus they are using bad scans to thwart the practice.  They should know by now that the collectors who actually buy the hard copy originals are a totally different set of folks.  Oh, well.  This is from a batch of really poor images and may actually be the worst.

 

Peekaboo classic

Although I doubt that he ever saw this photo, Mr. Scumbeast called other versions of this 

classic pose "the Gondolier."  I rather like the peekaboo view below the cheeks.

 

Top half

We only get the top half in this Eickmann photo.  We'll see what may 

be the bottom half of the same model a bit later in the set.

 

Odd pose

We don't see this pose very often.  In fact, I'm not sure I've seen it before.\

Don't try to enlarge this, btw.  It doesn't help with the quality.

 

Cutoff

This one leaves me wishing we had a full length view.

 

Different model

This is the only photo of this particular model in my very small Eickmann collection.

 

Another low quality scan

This is another one where the scan quality was pretty bad.  I'd love 

to have a cleaner version of this photo which I like quite a bit.

 

Elbow

As best as I can figure from the sales blurb that accompanied the montage from Eickmann's book, this image of an elbow, armpit, and hip was the intended version of the photo.  Such cropping was not at all common in 1890, and it points ahead to the work of George Platt Lynes.

 

Seated

The last Eickmann photo in today's series is one of the better quality images I found.

If anyone has any more, please use the contact form on the right side of this page.

 

Military Men via Dee Exx

All of today's photos were generously provided by Dee Exx from his military collection.

We start with an inventive GI on Guadalcanal who's getting a bath and doing his laundry 

with a water powered washing machine make from shovels and a 55 gallon drum.

Thanks a million, Dee!

 

On deck in undies

Here we have a Navy crew member on the deck of an aircraft carrier in his underwear.

 

Soapy

Guam in 1944 was the site where this photo of some soapy U.S. Marines was made.  Not wanting to wait for a mobile shower unit, they used a water truck and a hose to clean up.

 

51st Highland Division

The Mareth Line in Tunisia was the location for this 1943 shot of hot showers provided 

for the men of the 51st Highland Division as photographed by Lt. McLaren.

 

Three Inch Gun Crew(s?)

Dee sent me two photos labeled "3-inch gun crew."  

Do y'all think the men in the two pictures could be the same group?

 

North Africa

Eliot Elisofon took this photo in 1943 at the Gafsa Roman Baths in Tunisia.

 

More showers

The location for this mobile shower photo was not indicated, 

but that looks like a European forest in the background.

 

Sleeping berth

This photo of a sailor in a sleeping berth area shows that he either worked out 

or that loading shells into guns all day can have a positive side effect.

 

Buffing a bum

George Silk took this 1945 photo on Iwo Jima of fighter pilots getting massages.  

I find it amazing that such amenities could be provided in the midst of war,  

and as for the masseurs, it had to be great work if  you could get it!