PaJaMa, Part 1 - Photos

We have a two part series today on the PaJaMa Collective.  Part one is photos by the group, and we start with a poor quality image from a group of pictures donated by Margaret Hoening French to the Smithsonian.  (Speaking of Ms. French, we will be seeing more of her and her work than usual today.)  These have been described as Jared French "photo sketches" because they were done in a format similar to contact sheets to save developing costs.  You'll see this model again later today.  

 

Todd Bolender

Provincetown was the setting for this 1947 PaJaMa photo 

of ballet dancer, teacher, and choreographer Todd Bolender.

 

Margaret Hoening French Photo

You may recognize the model in this photo as John Butler.  He appeared in a number 

of photo studies by Jared French, some of which I have posted.  This picture, however, 

has been attributed by a reliable curator to his wife Margaret Hoening French.  

I'm inclined to agree, even though the doorway setting is very similar

 to what we've seen before.  The difference is the lighting, which is 

quite unlike the others, and the style of the pose

 

George and Monroe

Here we have a PaJaMa photo of George Platt Lynes and his on again, off again lover Monroe Wheeler.  In a parallel to PaJaMa, these two were also involved with Glenway Wescott at the same time.

 

Photo Sketch II

As promised, here is the other side of the Jared French model shown earlier.

 

Jared and the Lighthouse

Jared French is undoubtedly the 20th Century artist photographed nude more than any other.

Most of those pictures, including this one, are attributed to his wife Margaret Hoening.

The setting is Fire Island with the lighthouse in the background.

 

PaJaMa, Part 2 - Art

Part two of PaJaMa day features art works by the members.  

This damaged and undated piece is by Paul Cadmus.

 

Jared French I - Untitled

This Jared French drawing is typical of the work he was doing around 1950.

The square shouldered look appears again and again in that period.

 

Paul Cadmus II - Margaret Hoening French

I find this Paul Cadmus drawing of his lover's wife,

 Margaret Hoening French, to be quite good.

 

Margaret Hoening French - The Juggler

This is The Juggler by Margaret Hoening French, and to me, it symbolizes here life in the very unique love triangle the was PaJaMa.  We see a woman, juggling fire while walking a tightrope, being observed by three men.  One of the men resembles George Platt Lynes, and the other two could easily be Jared French and Paul Cadmus.  Even the dog had a place in their lives.  Pure genius!

 

Jared French II - The Boxer

Jared French's notes on this rough drawing of a boxer are interesting.  For those

 of you who use translators or who can't make out the words, they say:

"Boxer's stance - a defensive stance, ready to double-up for protection"

 

Paul Cadmus III

The hair style makes me think that this Paul Cadmus drawing was made long after PaJaMa 

was no more.  I included it anyway because it show his talent for lighting and shading.

 

Recent Acquisitions

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Tim Hogan

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Jack Virgil

This Pat Milo photo of Jack Virgil was in an online estate sale a couple of months ago.

 

Kid Pomer

Jean Ferrero photographed Kid Pomer wearing a jaunty hat.

 

Bert Callinder . . . with a little help from my friends

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of Bert Callinder and lamented the lack of derriere shots of this fine model.  Well, with a little help from my friends, I got some "new" images of him.  Cambria provided the BobCo (Bob Carr) studio shot above, and Brian E. sent me the group shot from behind below.  That's Bert on the left and one of the other guys is Jimmy Smith.  This may be a Wyngate & Bevins "nudist" photo, in which case the photographer could have been Bob Mizer of AMG.

 

Anthony Giordano

Someone wrote the model's name (possibly misspelled) 

on this Spectrum Studio photo of Anthony Giordano.

 

Johnny Orchid

Ralph Kelly took this photo of smiling Johnny Orchid,

who looks like he might have been a contortionist.

 

Jeri Ross

This is Jeri Ross by Frank Collier.

 

Frank Nisi

As best as I can tell, Frank Nisi did a single photo shoot with Bruce of LA.

Somehow I didn't manage to find this picture when I acquired the others.

 

Bill Hooper

Although I already had a few photos of Bill Hooper by Douglas of Detroit,

I like the pose and lighting better in this recent acquisition.

 

Australian Nudists Day, Part 1 - Assorted

Today we have a two parter on Australian nudist men.  Part one is assorted, and part two features bears.  Some body told this guy to turn his best side to the camera, and this is what we got.

 

Smirk

We get a smirk from this fellow.

 

Picnic Fun

Here we have some average guys enjoying some naked beer.

 

Beach Walk

This fellow is out for a beach walk.

 

Bowling

This guy looks much more athletic than any of the bowlers I've known.

 

Aussie Nudist Day, Part 2 - The Bears

Part two of Aussie Nudist Day features bearish men,

starting with this guy on a beach.

 

Bear in the shade

This Aussie bear is wearing shades in the shade.

 

Pool Fun

There's no money shot here, but I love these two 

ursines having fun in the pool.  Happy times.

 

Tug of War

Although on the lighter side for a bear, this Aussie is giving the tug of war all he's got.

 

Frisbee Prize

Our last Australian nudist bear won a frisbee contest,

and of course the prize was a new frisbee.