Au Naturel: Naturism, Nudism, and Tourism in Twentieth-Century France

Image Plates

Gaston and Simone Durville enjoying the sun during their ski vacation in 1929: La Vie sage 6, no. 71 (25 February 1929): cover. Courtesy of Michel Pivert. Images of German nudists predominated in early French nudist publications: La Vie sage 6, no. 73 (25 March 1929): cover. Courtesy of Michel Pivert. This first issue of Naturisme (vol. 8, no. 100 [22 March 1930]) revealed how a strong (male) naturist might pull the curtain on the ill effects of urbanization and industrialization in favor of a more natural, rural existence. Courtesy of Michel Pivert. Though not as popular as volleyball or track and field, basketball had a following at Physiopolis. Postcard, files of the Mairie of Villennes-sur-Seine. Traditional tents at Physiopolis. Postcard, files of the Mairie of Villennes-sur-Seine. The large stade at Physiopolis. Postcard, files of the Mairie of Villennes-sur-Seine. Vivre (vol. 1, no. 6 [15 August 1926]) with both classical sculptures and a still from the film Kraft und Schönheit, a film defended by Marcel Kienné de Mongeot and a source of photographs for early French nudist publications. Courtesy of Michel Pivert. Marcel Kienné de Mongeot: Vivre-santé 10, no. 191 (1 March 1936): cover. Courtesy of Michel Pivert. Sign at the entrance to the stade gymnique at the Manoir Jan (painted after American Julian Strange was accosted by two clothed women there): Nova 7, no. 127 (10 October 1932): cover. Courtesy of Michel Pivert. Photo from German review Die Schönheit published in H. Nadel, La Nudité à travers les âges (Paris: Vivre, 1929–30), titled “Hymne au soleil.” With nudists exercising in nature, such images from German publications provided a model for activities at Manoir Jan. Courtesy of Michel Pivert. At the pool at the Manoir Jan. From Nadel, La Nudité naturelle. Courtesy of Michel Pivert. Available by mail only, this “literary supplement” featured nudes; this special series complemented the Vivre-santé without nudes and available in kiosks (vol. 17, no. 189 bis [15 January 1936]). Courtesy of Michel Pivert. The minimum. Courtesy of La Vie au soleil (March–April 1963). Albert and Christiane Lecocq in La Vie au soleil (July–August 1963): 5. Courtesy of La Vie au soleil. Bungalow at Montalivet in mid-1950s. The construction both blocked sunlight and allowed the circulation of air. Postcard courtesy of J-C Bertreau. Hair salon at Montalivet. Postcard courtesy of J-C Bertreau. Automobile barrier at entrance to Montalivet. Postcard courtesy of J-C Bertreau. The grocery at Montalivet. Postcard courtesy of J-C Bertreau. Group exercise at Montalivet. Postcard courtesy of J-C Bertreau. Blockhouse from the Atlantic Wall on the beach at Montalivet. As the waves eroded the coastline, they undermined the foundations of the blockhouses and dragged them down to the beach, where many are now covered with sand. Graffiti includes the word “Montalivet.” Author’s photograph. Paul and René Oltra. Photo from the Hérault-tribune (9 August 1975): 8. Courtesy of the Hérault-tribune. Exercises on the beach at Cap d’Agde. La Vie au soleil 94 (July–August 1964): inside back cover. Courtesy of La Vie au soleil. Standing in line for water at Cap d’Agde. La Vie au soleil 94 (July–August 1964): inside back cover. Courtesy of La Vie au soleil. “Buy Your Sun” by buying an apartment at Port Ambonne ; individual consumerism increasingly replaced the collectivist ethic as Cap d’Agde “urbanized.” Ad in La Vie au soleil 9 (August–September 1970): inside front cover. Courtesy of La Vie au soleil. Pool at the completed Port Ambonne at Cap d’Agde in La Vie au soleil 59 (May–June 1978): 30. Courtesy of La Vie au soleil. ...