German Nudes: Akt & Die Schonheit 1900 ~ 1930s

Concepts of physical health and beauty associated with Germany and the Weimar years between the two world wars actually started taking shape in the early 19th century. Naturism, nudism, body culture, gymnastics, modern dance and sexual freedom were a substantial part of creative and artistic growth in Germany. Sadly these elements helped fuel the eventual downfall of the Weimar Republic via suppression and censorship of free expression which began with the rise to power of the national socialists, circa 1932. 

Ironically these "liberal" attitudes about the body were eventually embraced by the Third Reich as part of their Arian, ubermensch propaganda. Korperkultur and to a certain degree nudity, became part of the "official" art commissioned for the nazis and displayed in the national art galley in Munich, Haus der Deutschen Kunst.

Posted here are books and periodicals devoted to "nudes and beautiful bodies" which give a glimpse of what was being created circa 1900 to the mid-1930s.

Weibliche Schonheit circa 1905 featuring a marvelous allegorical cover illustration. Idyllic and classical, academic style nudes.

Ideale Nacktheit,1920s. Photographic annuals published by Die Schonheit magazine, featuring photos extracted from previously published issues.

An English language version of volume four.

Two volumes by Dr.Ernst Schertel, a pseudo-scientist, published by his Parthenon Verlag, 1920s. Schertel is most well known for his Flagellantismus series of periodicals.

Ausdruckgymnastik, circa 1923. Exceptional book on modern dance and gymnastics with photographs by Gerhard Riebecke. Prior to Martin Munkasci there were Riebecke's photographs of bodies in motion.

Various books on physical culture, exercise, gymnastics and korperkultur.

On of the books (this one with fold-out photographs in series showing sequential movements/exercises) from the prolific Hans Suren, 1920s.

"Female Beauty" published circa 1938, one of the first books published featuring color photographs of the nude.

______

Click here for Nudism Naturism in my eBay store

Magnus Hirschfeld: Bilder-Lexicon 1930 Erotic Arts

In my early years of interest in erotica, the bibliography of German books published circa 1918 ~ 1933 loomed large in my imagination, something I needed to wrap my mind around. I became familiar with the bibliography through bookseller's catalogs while never actually handling any of the books. Eventually I purchased the key reference work, the BILDER-LEXICON Kulturgeschicte, Literatur und Kunst, Sexualwissenschaft. An iconic set of four huge volumes filled with color and black & white illustrations and photos, edited and published by Magnus Hirschfeld (Verlag fur Kulturforshung, Vienna/Leipzig, 1929~1931). A monumental work, the books are known in the trade simply as "the bilder".

Eightly years after is was originally published, it remains the unsurpassed illustrated dictionary of the erotic arts, sexual science and amourous literature with a particular focus on the bizarre, transgressive and tabou aspects of human nature. The books are filled with an extraordinary variety of illustrated citations starting in prehistoric times and continuing through to modernity. Every aspect of human sexual desire, feverish fantasy and abnormal proclivities of men and women is addressed. The areas of lesbianism, male homosexuality, passive/aggressive domination, transvestism and fetishism as well as perverted sexual desires that lead to social humiliation and shame were of particular interest to Hirschfeld. 

Note that in 1933, just two years after the publication of the fourth volume in the original set, Hirschfeld's Institute for Sexual Studies was destroyed by the Nazis. Hirschfeld is viewed today as one of the most important figures in the then emerging field of modern sexual science while also playing a key role in the earliest days of rights for homosexuals. He also coined the word " transvestism" for his 1910, extremely rare two volume work, Die Transvestiten. He died in Nice, France in 1935. Excellent bio is here.


Illustrated is the 1962 facsimile of "the bilder", published in eight volumes, plus two supplemental volumes which updated the new edition. 

______