That would be MY Grampa, Gentle Reader, not yours. A genre of erotic art formerly known as “naughty French post cards,” from the very early 20th century… like 1910 ~ 1930, or thereabouts. The phrase “it was a more innocent time” is shop-worn to say the very least, but I think the photos above beat the SI swimsuit issue all to Hell and back... at least from an artistic perspective. YMMV, especially if you're male and thirty-ish or under. Maybe even if you're older.
More examples here… scroll down. I think this sort of thing is work-safe, but be advised there are nudes at the link. Tastefully done, of course.
―:☺:―
Yesterday’s (Monday) weather was completely different, too. I’m certain we didn’t reach 60 degrees and it looked like it was gonna snow all day long… thanks to a rather depressing dull gray overcast that never went away. It might have snowed, too, if it had been 30 degrees colder. We actually did get a trace of rain yesterday… enough to make me switch on the windshield wipers while I was out and about running errands in the afternoon… but not nearly enough to do any good. Hell, the streets didn’t even look wet. It was a depressing sort of day, though, if one is prone to be overly influenced by the weather.
The lack of rain is a serious problem. We’re in about as bad a drought as I can remember in the seven years I’ve been in P-Ville. Drought brings an increased danger of wildfire and with the way our winds have been lately, the dryness is cause for concern. Then there are the farmers and ranchers, of course. I know they’re not pleased.
These seem to age 30-40 are photographs of prostitutes. It was also not present at that time people pay attention to build it. :)
ReplyDeleteHealth is the Greatest Happiness
The World at The Present
How do you know the women in these pictures are prostitutes, Skywind? They MIGHT be, but then again they might NOT be. No one really knows now, do they? I think they're good looking examples of women of the age, and that's why I posted the pics. Nothing more, nothing less.
ReplyDeleteI like your grandpa's photos - very artsy. I would think the apple does not fall far from the tree.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping for rain yesterday, but it did not happen. The clouds disappeared and it was actually a very nice day. The wind did blow, but it kept it from being too hot.
What surprised me was that rain wasn't even thought about in the forecast! What we got wasn't enough to help anything at all, probably not even my yard. But at least it smelled nice.
ReplyDeleteSo far we haven't had any fires W. of pville. But I'll keep you updated should that change. Melrose had something last week, and I think Arch a few days ago, but nothing too big. ALTHOUGH--winter of 2005-06 was dang dry. No rain or snow from October to about April. But ended up being a great year after that.
I've often thought it an interesting study of just what is it that encompasses the perspective of physical beauty.
ReplyDeleteRealizing that the subjects of the pics rendered here were once considered very erotic and beautiful...now do absolutely nothing as far as arousing anything physically appealing to the eye of this beholder. Like Lou, i think they are cool from the sense that they are artsy and fun...would i take these types of pics of my wife, sister, daughter, or mother and post them or give them out?...not just NO but...well you know the answer to that.
With that in mind and a click on the SI link, one sees a girl of similar age as the older pics, yet the 'beauty' has morphed into an entirely sleeker cat. And something in me says...Whoa! H-O-T! Now...why is that? Why are the things that are physically attractive now different from things that were attractive 100 years ago...300 years ago...3000 years ago. What is the science of beauty?
If we saw some of the historically 'beautiful' women to have walked the planet, would we be so appealed as those who actually eyed them? Nefertiti, Helen of Troy, Bathsheba, Cleopatra,
I would offer this...physical attractiveness is fickle, vain, and evanescent. Further, the old adage 'beauty is only skin deep' is true. Now, that's obviously not to say that one can't be physically attractive and have a beauty of character also. And there are very few of those indeed. Point is...beauty of the heart is a beauty that has never, ever changed, and never...ever... will.
Piper - your last line says it all.
ReplyDeleteStyles, tastes, fashion - they all dictate what is supposed to be beautiful. What I find interesting is that there are no new ideas when it comes to those things. Fashion today harkens back to the 50s and 70s. Fashions in the 80s were a direct nod to the days of the flapper. Fashion in the 90s was really from the 40s.
It all comes around again.
That said - I think Buck's grandpa had great taste - classically beautiful women. The sad thing is that, if you put those women in today's fashion magazines (our equivalent I guess) they would be labeled fat and would likely be ridiculed.
I think the photos are fairly hot, myself. I like women with curves, for one thing, and there is an innocence to these poses (even the total nudes) that is totally lacking in current shots.
ReplyDeleteBec said:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Suldog. The expressions on many models today look hard and self centered to me. Their bodies are hard, too. These photos come from a different time, all right, when the ideal women were gentle and demure. Seeing them in their undies pouring tea must have been quite enticing to the gentlemen of their day.
Lou sez: I like your grandpa's photos - very artsy. I would think the apple does not fall far from the tree.
ReplyDeleteThe pics were sent to me by a friend and weren't actually taken from my grandfather's dresser. I only used the term "sock drawer" to imply contraband.. or something hidden... and the "MY grampa" to set the images in a specific place in time. But they are quite artful, aren't they?
Jenny: Thanks for update on the fire situation. And yeah: the air DID smell wonderful yesterday, didn't it?
Jay: VERY well said! I dunno if you've seen it, but The Discovery Channel has a series on just what you're on about: The Science of Sex Appeal. I watched it this past Sunday and it is VERY interesting.
That said... our opinions diverge, as I intimated they might in my post. I find these "antique women" much more appealing than the anorexic visions of "beauty" foisted upon us these days. I've ALWAYS preferred zaftig women tho, and took a LOT of grief for my tastes from my erstwhile "friends" back in the day. Curves are where it's AT! ;-)
Kris: Very well-said on your part, too. And everything I said in response to Jay applies to your comment, as well.
Jim: We're in agreement yet again. I think you're a man with EXCELLENT taste! ;-)
Ah, Bec... the ol' simultaneous comment thing, again! Seeing the woman pouring tea in her undies is quite enticing to ME, even now! ;-)
ReplyDeletehttp://flowingdata.com/2009/02/12/wired-relates-playboy-playmate-bmi-and-average-bmi-1954-2008/
ReplyDeleteHow to leave a comment without sounding like a pervert? Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteI'm with Suldog on this one. Honestly, I think these pictures eschew a certain eroticism that is lost today. They are real women, with real expressions. And, something is left to the imagination.
Hey Buck,
ReplyDeleteHave you been looking at the hotties on Shorpy.com?
Those old photo's are a real treat.
Phil: Suspicions confirmed! Thanks for the link -- most interesting!
ReplyDeleteBuckskins: Agreed, on all counts.
DC: I hadn't been to Shorpy in a while, thanks for the reminder.
I'm trying to get to bed, and you, sir, are keeping me up. ;-)
ReplyDelete