Nudism in a Cold Climate: The Visual Culture of Naturists in Mid-20th Century Britain

DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK

Annebella Pollen's richly illustrated study examinew the idiosyncratic pheonomenon of social nudism, or naturism, in 20th-century Britain, a place known for its lack of sunshine and conservative attitudes to sex. By bringing naturists' own words and images to light, Nudism in a Cold Climate tells this little-known but fascinating history for the first time.

From the 1930s, thousands of people appeared nude in books and magazines associated with the nudist movement, drawing attention to the cause, attracting public curiosity and inciting moral panics. Naturist nude photography offers an unexpected lens on moral, legal, and aesthetic shifts over a century of dramatic social change, including beliefs about sex and gender, ethnicity and class, pleasue and power.

Annabella Pollen (2021). Nudism in a Cold Climate: The Visual Culture of Naturists in Mid-20th Century Britain. Los Angeles, CA: Atelier Éditions. Softcover. 269p. ISBN-13: 978-1-7336220-6-6.