125 Years: 1888-2013 ~ Decades' worth of burlesque?

[Scott T. Shier]

Nat Geo Society ~ 125 years --  the 'Naked Truth' of nudity in National Geographic

In the October (125th anniversary-of-magazine issue), 2013, the staff of NGM took a rare and sort of self-deprecating look back at the infamous nudity seen the Geographic over the years. As many would be quick to point out, the urban legend was a bit more saucy and exaggerated than the truth.

However, Nat Geo did show natives in their etats-au-natural, always under the premise of journalistic human geography //as it really is//.

See the attached info-graphic scan from their features dept.  In particular I liked the comment:

"...the magazine's earliest mission was to document 'the world and all that is in it.' Sometimes, in places with very warm climates, what was not in it, was clothing."

Interesting highlights:

• first bare-breasted photo:                   1896
• record for most qty. in one issue:       Sept. 1912
• longest gap without any:                    39 issues in the latter 1910's

*maybe someone on the 'Corner already has, or would care to collate the exact dates of those 39 issues?

For me, the most emblematic (I don't wish to say 'favorite', nor 'iconic') of the Nat Geo samples of nudity would be the November 1944 (pg. 595) El Salvadorian 'lass' , and the original Zulu couple, from November 1896 (plate adj. pg. 356). When I hear people talk about this subject, those are the 2 images that I think of.

   ~ Scott S. 

[Philip Riviere]

 Scott,

      Maybe it was a right of passage but as a retired elementary  teacher and school librarian I know many 10 year old boys saw their first "breast" in the school library looking at National Geographic's .

Phil

[Scott T. Shier]

Phil,

Definitely! 

Actually, I can remember a few of my school buds wanting to hang in my bedroom and look at Nat Geo's . . . and they were looking for the natives in their birthday suits!

*when I was in elementary + middle, I had from about 1967-1989/90+ all on a bookcase in my bedroom (my full NGM collection at that time!).

           - Scott 

[George Thomas Wilson]

Scott,

Best picture: November 1944 pg. 585.

Runner up: October 1986 pg. 461.

Tom