GRAPHIC A Shocking Discovery - Librarians Take Note.

[Robert Gray]

Francis Trevelyn Miller's classic, The Photographic History Of The Civil War, must be removed from your shelves! For more than 100 years photo-historians have relied on a set of books that are, in fact, ****ographic. Yes, it's true. In volume 1 on page 313 we find a case of full, frontal nudity! Miller, you sneaky devil. Well, what can I say? Check it out for yourselves.

White House Landing, Va. View down river, with supply vessels.
Library of Congress (LC-DIG-cwpb-01807)

 

[jepridgen]

I think it's safe to say that dude knew exactly what he was doing. Totally could see a soldier doing the something similar just to ruin a PAO's day.

 

[Cavalier]

I had the whole set when I was young. Never noticed that. Reminds me of the great Sears catalog scandal of sometime in the 1980s. Pretty funny! Its a shame they have to remove those great books from the library over that though.

John

 

[Belfoured]

Great post - as many times as I've seen this photo I never picked up on that (probably a good thing).

At the bottom the caption states "Little was left to the Confederates save the charred ruins of the White House". It should have added "And nothing was left to the imagination by the photographer".

And should Board Ops get a warrant to seize @Robert Gray's computer to see what else he's been searching on the LOC site?

 

[Library Lady]

Francis Trevelyn Miller's classic, The Photographic History Of The Civil War, must be removed from your shelves! For more than 100 years photo-historians have relied on a set of books that are, in fact, ****ographic. Yes, it's true. In volume 1 on page 313 we find a case of full, frontal nudity! Miller, you sneaky devil. Well, what can I say? Check it out for yourselves.

White House Landing, Va. View down river, with supply vessels.
Library of Congress (LC-DIG-cwpb-01807)

View attachment 467890

Where??? Oh, you mean the gent standing in the water? The one you can hardly see?

Have you all never seen the ART BOOKS in the library? Any book on Michelangelo is going to have an up-close and personal picture of his anatomically correct statue of David. Any book on Donatello will probably have one of his, too. These should be in Mr. Dewey's 730 neighborhood if you would like to see for yourselves. Or avoid them.

 

[Belfoured]

Where??? Oh, you mean the gent standing in the water? The one you can hardly see?

Have you all never seen the ART BOOKS in the library? Any book on Michelangelo is going to have an up-close and personal picture of his anatomically correct statue of David. Any book on Donatello will probably have one of his, too. These should be in Mr. Dewey's 730 neighborhood if you would like to see for yourselves. Or avoid them.

Now I want to know more about the guy who's seated over on the beach.

 

[Library Lady]

I think it's safe to say that dude knew exactly what he was doing. Totally could see a soldier doing the something similar just to ruin a PAO's day.

OK, but how long did he have to stand absolutely still with no supports for the photographic plate to be made? I'm not seeing any motion artifact. And yes, that is what I was looking for. Thank you for asking.

 

[Library Lady]

Now I want to know more about the guy who's seated over on the beach.

What, @Belfoured , you wouldn't ask a buddy to guard your clothes when you went skinny dipping? What would you do if they should disappear? It looks like the gent next to him is engrossed in a trashy novel (or would that be "summer beach read?").

 

[Story]

 

[Robert Gray]

Great post - as many times as I've seen this photo I never picked up on that (probably a good thing).

At the bottom the caption states "Little was left to the Confederates save the charred ruins of the White House". It should have added "And nothing was left to the imagination by the photographer".

And should Board Ops get a warrant to seize @Robert Gray's computer to see what else he's been searching on the LOC site?

Here's another one. Check out the nude bather on the far bank below the Chesterfield Bridge.

 

[jepridgen]

OK, but how long did he have to stand absolutely still with no supports for the photographic plate to be made? I'm not seeing any motion artifact. And yes, that is what I was looking for. Thank you for asking.

Exactly, he was totally posing. Better question might be whether the guy taking the picture knew what the naked dude was doing.

 

[Belfoured]

Here's another one. Check out the nude bather on the far bank below the Chesterfield Bridge.

View attachment 468091

View attachment 468092

This is causing me to completely revisit my decades-old obsession with the ACW. Who knew ....

 

[Belfoured]

Exactly, he was totally posing. Better question might be whether the guy taking the picture knew what the naked dude was doing.

I think @Robert Gray may be on to something here. I see a book - Civil War Photographers and The Naked Truth.

 

[Library Lady]

I don't recall Ken Davis (Don't Know Much About the Civil War: Everything You Need to Know about America's Greatest Conflict but Never Learned) mentioning anything about Civil War soldiers being a bunch of exhibitionists. I guess that was something even he didn't know!

Maybe Webb Garrison mentions it in one of his books of Civil War strange stories, curiosities and unusual things.

 

[Sheltowee]

And he's not the only nude man in the photo. Scan along the bank.

 

[lupaglupa]

One day while looking at the shelves in my local library I came across a book of photographs taken on Navy ships during WW2. There was a LOT of nudity; after all, it was hot in the South Pacific.

 

[Library Lady]

This is causing me to completely revisit my decades-old obsession with the ACW. Who knew ....

Yeah, I've got to pay more attention to the Period Photos and Examinations Forum. It appears that I've been missing out!

The used book and record shop where I volunteer had an original 1911-1912 set of the Photographic History of the Civil War save for one volume (not volume 1 with the "questionable" pictures above). So how did these pictures make it into general publication in an era that supposedly had strict morals?

And, by the way, I think this gent looks like a "floater" who washed up on the bank. Does he even have a head and all parts of all upper appendages? (Don't look at me like that! I posted to that thread about first full-time jobs so you know what mine was. )

 

[gc45]

I think you guys are seeing things. Ha!

 

[lupaglupa]

I think you guys are seeing things. Ha!

This reminds me of the old skit with Minnie Pearl. She calls the hotel manager to report that she can see a naked man through her window. The manager looks out, looks all around, and tells Minnie "I can't see any naked men." She replies "You can if you stand on the dresser!"

 

[Library Lady]

I think you guys are seeing things. Ha!

We sure are! But wasn't that the point of the post?