Young Man Shirtless in Urban Park, 1950s — Archive & Atlas
AA-2026-8C1B4A
AA-2026-8C1B4A
On the image
A young man stands bare-chested in the middle of a city park on a summer afternoon, wearing only trousers and a composed expression, as if displaying himself were the ordinary reason for a Sunday outing. Behind him scattered across the grass are blankets, picnicking families, and other park-goers in the middle distance, all of them present but none of them looking at him. He has chosen to remove his shirt in public and stands with the confidence of someone who believes this is simply what people do in parks when the weather permits. The park is full enough that his near-nudity is framed by dozens of clothed witnesses, yet the photograph catches no one reacting, no one averting their eyes, no scandal forming—which means either the moment was entirely unremarkable to everyone there, or the norms governing what a man could display of his body in a public gathering were different then than they would become.
Visually related — by likeness
Young Man Shirtless in Urban Park, 1950s. 1950–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-8C1B4A. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/young-man-shirtless-in-urban-park-1950s.
@misc{aaAA20268C1B4A,
title = {Young Man Shirtless in Urban Park, 1950s},
year = {1950–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-8C1B4A},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/young-man-shirtless-in-urban-park-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Young Man Shirtless in Urban Park, 1950s PY - 1950–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-8C1B4A UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/young-man-shirtless-in-urban-park-1950s ER -
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