A few days ago a member of the public in Argentina contacted the police over some women sunbathing topless on the beach. A bit of a stand off resulted.

Now, it seems, that more topless protests are planned in support of the women involved. An Argentinian ‘free the nipple’ moment, if you will.

An Argentinian women goes topless with the word ‘Censor this!’ painted on her body.

We’ll keep an eye on this story and update you as it develops.

Ella

Born in 1848, Jules Richard would use skills, learned and refined in the business of precision instrument making, to create the most popular line of Stereo cameras, viewers and accessories of the early 20th century. His father, Felix, died in 1876 leaving the family business in poor condition. Jules Richard took over, and in 1880 patented a highly successful recording barometer. The firm expanded its line of scientific instruments, and by the 1890s Richard was enjoying considerable success. Along the way, he acquired an interest in stereo photography.

Seeing an opportunity, in 1893 he patented an new stereo camera – the Verascope. Up to this time, cameras were bulky and cumbersome to operate. Along with the new camera, Richard developed his 45×107 millimeter format, allowing more compact cameras and reduced weight. A talented marketer and innovator, Richard hit on the right combination at the right time. One could argue his impact on stereo photography was every bit as great as George Eastman’s impact on flat photography. Not only did the 45×107 format become the most popular stereo standard of its day, but Richard followed up with viewers, printing equipment and all the accessories necessary to enjoy the stereo hobby. No one else took such a thorough approach.

There has been very little published in English about the personal life of Jules Richard. Apparently, he was not overly concerned with his public perception, allowing the image of the company to take the lead. Although a form of his company still survives, Richard himself had no children, and the company’s connection to photography ended with the demise of the post WWII stereo fad. One thing we do know, Jules Richard loved his ladies. I am told he was married to a prostitute, and thanks to the surviving record, we know he enjoyed photographing nudes.

In the post Victorian era, European morals can hardly be described as loose. Yet, Richard spent considerable time and effort photographing naked women, and not just for personal consumption. In spite of their potentially scandalous nature, Richard sold copies of his nudes. No doubt many a viewer and slides were sold to “sporting gentlemen” thanks to these images. In today’s world, one might argue it was strictly a business venture, designed to encourage comment and sell more product. It would appear, however, his interests were legitimate and the resulting commercial opportunity was merely a bonus.

Jules Richard was by no means the only photographer of naked women. He employed at least one  photographer who also shot nudes, and of course there were any number of commercial and amateur photographers of the era who created collections as well. Richard’s images are generally recognizable by location, and the examples linked below are divided accordingly.

Today, as a direct link to the man who contributed so much to generations of stereo photographers and collectors, Richard nudes are among the most sought after of 45×107 format images. For a long time I resisted buying any Richard nudes, but a friend pointed out not having any represented a genuine gap in my collection. The Autochrome portrait of Jules Richard illustrating this article does not belong to me. Although I have never seen one for sale, apparently there was a photographer who on occasion shot Autochromes at L’Atrium.

A ‘stereo’ camera, the Verascope Richard, pioneered by Richard’s company

Advertising the Verascope

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Jules Richard, in later life

I chanced upon the work of Jules Richard when exploring ‘vintage cameras’, as I’m in the market to buy up an old 35mm camera. I had one of these in my teens, not very good, but I always enjoyed taking photos with it. While digital is ‘the future’, sometimes where’s still a place for ‘the past’, and I’d be interested to try out such an item today.

Along the research journey, I chanced upon Jules Richards work, and it immediately caught my eye because it’s exactly the sort of photography that would lend itself to replication in SL, the grid being awash with all manner of old buildings that would lend themselves perfectly to the purpose of photographing nudes.

Of course, in our equality aware era, it would be necessary to include a few male nudes in similar Greco-Roman styled work, so I put the message out to several SL friends, asking for contributions.

The following gallery is what came back to me…

Lovely photos! Recreating a Greco-Roman theme, and dress sense, in SL is certainly very do-able. Which leads me onto a future posting. Tere, in the bottom photo is at a Roman sim in Sl, wearing slightly revealing Roman clothing (free at the arrival point). I won’t give the slurl here, but save it for a future posting, when we examine ancient attitudes to nudity, some of which are more enlightened than our 21st century mindset. Watch out for that blog entry at the weekend!

Ella

One story not likely to have made waves around the world, but which did get some coverage in the UK, was that of a naked carpenter in court. Charged with public order offences, the gentleman was cleared on the basis that his freedom of expression outweighed any alarm caused. A sensible decision by the courts. Further coverage of the court case is here, including some amusing statements by witnesses, who really do need to get the sight of a naked body into some sort of perspective.

One man even called 999 (that’s the UK’s equivalent to the 911 service) to complain. In my world, and most sensible people’s world, that isn’t ‘an emergency’.

Disappointlingly, SL isn’t awash with construction sites or tools, but we did manage to find a safety hat and tool belt on the Marketplace (L$5 each), which allowed us to photograph our handyman working on the roof of SLN HQ.

Ella

Thanks to the Fab Free blog, I learned there was a hunt on at Brii Underground, named a ‘surf girl’ hunt. Ten gifts to collect and, happily, most seemed to be relatively easy to locate. I speak as someone who gets terribly frustrated by some of the hunts, not having the patience for them.

Not only was I able to locate the hunt gifts, all items that I’d certainly include as part of my ‘naturist wardrobe’ (but which I won’t necessarily photograph here), but I noticed some L$1 bargains, and some free group gifts (joining the group is free, too), dotted around the store.

The first one I’ll draw your attention to is a L$1 gift, ostensibly for male avatars but, as you can see, entirely suitable for female avatars too. Sometimes ‘boobs’ show through the mesh on male gifts, rendering them either unusable or only usable in an XL size. I generally define my avatar as ‘medium’ for mesh wear, and the medium male sizes fitted perfectly! These are theoretically Valentine’s Day gifts, but I thought they suited a kind of ‘naturist wardrobe’ theme, as -suitcase space permitting- I do take both a dressing gown and a pair of my own, not borrowed from hubby, boxer shorts on holiday, the reasons being that naturist etiquette demands you sit on a towel for hygiene purposes (no one wants to sit on your sweat or sun tan oil, nor you on theirs) and if the towels we use are still damp, a pair of boxer shorts are ideal for use at the apartment. Similarly, despite temperatures predicted to top 30 degrees later in the day, early mornings in France or Spain can be chilly, so a dressing gown for breakfasting on the terrace is a ‘must have’ item. Both items are included in the same L$1 gift.

The next item (above), the one I spotted on the Fab Free blog, is what I went searching for. Light, airy, diaphanous evening wear. Lovely.

And while there, I spotted that Brii has an entire section devoted to Mardi Gras wear! We’ve covered the topic of Mardi Gras on SLN before, often, as it’s a time when an awful lot of skin ends up on display! See the gallery at the bottom of the page!

The outfit offered was a free group gift. Another absolute bargain.

This isn’t really my style, but I do think it looks gorgeous, and the make up layers, lashes and jewellery are included in the set. I removed the tailpiece/feathers in the second photo because it allowed the headpiece to be shown with greater clarity. The backdrop is, for me, very New Orleans, and the backdrop and bicycle poses are at the Thorns and Roses free photo studio that we blogged a couple of days ago.

While Rio has a ‘racy’ reputation, the fact is that going topless, let alone nude, on Copacabana beach isn’t the done thing, so when Mardi Gras comes along it offers the opportunity to flash more flesh. Ditto New Orleans, which one wouldn’t immediately think of as a hotbed of naturism. Yet on Mardi Gras, there are plenty of ladies out there ‘flashing for beads’…

It’s a public nudity event we’ll turn our attention to in a week or so’s time, as Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, 28th February, approaches.

Ella