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BOOKS
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Pii'tioing Men document*» lum mule
C rossing the L ine
by Sara Davidmann; Devm
Lewis Publishing, 2003; $28
hardcover
P icturing M en : A C entury of M ale
R elationships in E veryday A merican
P hotography
by John Ihson; Smithsonian Institution Press,
2002; $32.99 hardcourr
ine years ago, John Ihson, a gay professor of
American studies at California State Uni-
versity-Fullerton, began collecting historical
photos of two or more men together, without
women. In a more-or-less chronological fashion,
Picturing Men: A Century o f Male Relationships m
Everyday American Photography draws on his now
nearly 5,000-piece collection to illustrate an
interesting evolution of masculinity.
“I do not see this htxrk as a venture in gay
history, hut rather a men’s history; not a work in
the history of sexuality, hut in the history of inti
macy," writes Ihson. “In spite of todays homo
phobic equation of same-sex affectum with sexu
al interest, affection between men need not
involve sex any more than sex between them is
necessarily a sign of affection. Indeed what actu
ally constitutes ‘intimacy’ may vary across time."
An early chapter produces studio portraits in
which men hold hands, sit on laps and otherwise
touch. Another chapter
features photographs as
something of a perform
ance, in which scenes are
staged— often with
props— ranging from cow
boys and Indians to mock
weddings.
Candid snapshots
offer an informal glimpse
of men with men, while
war photos depict arm-in-arm camaraderie that
has noticeably dissipated since the first half of
the 20th century.
Even without repeated disclaimers, it’s obvi
ous that not all of these photographs have a
queer bent, hut that only goes to support Ihson s
thesis: There was more intimacy, tenderness and
affection among men, sexual or otherwise. And,
as evidenced by this portfolio, that intimacy did
fade. So much so that these images evoke a
longing for that bond rarely available today.
Perhaps especially for gay men, relationships
with other men often are one extreme or the
other: hands-off or jack-off. Did the rise of a
distinct out-and-proud gay identity— and paral
lel homophobia— create these walls of insecuri
ty between men?
Although interesting to ponder, the photos
themselves are the strength of Pictunng Men,
not anecdotal academia. “Things were once
different,” reminds the author. And it’s nice to
see that he’s right.
— Timothy Krause
J
N
P aul C admus : T he M ale N ude
by Justin Spring; Universe Books, 2002, $49.95
hardcover
aul Cadmus, who died in 1999 at the
age o f 95, gained notoriety when, in
1934, his bawdy oil painting “T h e Fleet’s
In” was pulled from a W PA exhibition by
the assistant secretary of the Navy because
it defamed U .S. sailors. T h e piece featured
muscular men in various stages of drunken
ness being courted by feral women. O ff to
the side is an
overly groomed
man in a tell
tale red tie.
Like Charles
Demuth (1883-
1935), Cadmus
portrayed ways
gay men found
sex before there
were established
i oan: “I am so fascinated by
women and find women
such magical creatures
that I want to try and taste
some of that magic."
Zsarday: “Without a doubt 1
was bom with the wrong body,
the wrong gender. I’m making
myself become what I should
have been in the first place.”
Celeste West: “It’s not
enough just to be a woman— I
want to be a superwoman. I
want to push glamour and glitz
to its very limits.”
Joan, Zsarday and Celeste
West are three of the subjects of
Sara Davidmann’s loving visual
tribute to London’s tranny com
munity. The photographer and
sculptor became entranced by
this subculture almost upon
contact.
“I cruised London’s gay bars
and cross-dressing clubs to
learn about cross-dressing,"
she says in her introduction. “Drag was just one
area. Others I discovered are classed as trans
vestites, transsexuals, shemales, inhetweenies—
with many others defying any classification.
Once people got to know me and trust was
established, they were happy to talk to me and
include me in their
,--------------------------------
world."
Crossing the Line
documents more than
three years of “their
world." There's very
little text here, no
more than an intro
duction and brief com
ments by three or four
of the subjects. The
color images are the
draw, running the gamut of types from the
satirical faux-mom to the toweringly bewigged
performer to the naked naif unabashedly
showing tits and a penis.
T h e aspirations of these queens
are literally displayed in Millie
Mopp’s enormous blond bouffant,
which adds a good foot to her height.
Ashleigh, mistaken for a girl even from
childhood, perfects a punky look. Celeste
West shows the drag as captivating
trickster, appearing in every imaginable
guise from muscular beauty queen to
black-lipsticked performance artist.
Davidmann breaks no new ground
here, despite the sometimes arresting
images. Anyone looking for a deeper
understanding of drag and genderplay
will not be satisfied by Crossing the
Line. And overpriced at $28 for a
mere 96 pages (you could call it a
small coffee table book), only
the better-heeled trannies and
their fans will be likely to pick
this one up. At least until it
appears, inevitably, on
the discount tables at
Borders for a more
reasonable, say, $9.95.
—Gar} M orris JH
Candid camera
From pencil to ink to film—this collection of hooks
proves the queer body is in fine form
places to cruise. But Cadmus, unlike Demuth,
displayed his work to the public in a series of
highly contentious showings.
Paul Cadm us: The Male Nude is a collection
of 70 drawings created from 1930 to 1998.
Most are gentle, beautifully rendered medita
tions in which a lone, classically proportioned
naked man is drawn in repose against a neutral
background. The artist’s most frequent mcxlel
was his partner, Jon Anderson, and it is fasci
nating to follow the changes in Anderson’s
body as Cadmus documents his aging.
Included with the plates are five essays by
noted art historian Justin Spring. These easily
digested essays provide everything you need to
know to fully appreciate Cadmus' work.
Cadmus was always open abexjt his sexuality,
and his art was always very sensual. Yet he didn’t
like to be referred to as a gay artist and, unlike
Tom of Finland (whose work is clearly inspired by
Cadmus), most of his images do not carry a partic
ularly erotic charge. But they also can’t help but
express sexuality, love and friendship; this book is
a testament to Cadmus’ power as an artist.
— Floyd Sklaver
O ut /L ines : U nderground G ay G raphics
from B efore S tonewall
by Thomas Waugh; Arsenal Pulp Press, 2002;
$19.95 softcover
homas Waugh loves illustrations of naked
men, and he’s turned his passion into
Out/Unes: Under -
O UT/UNES
ground G ay Graphics
from Before Stonewall.
* * * * * * rr
Culling chiefly from
his own private col
lection of more than
500 graphics, he has
chosen 200 explicit
gay images and writ
ten a series of essays
exploring his ohses-
sion with such artists as Tom of Finland, Neel
Bate (known as Blade) and Dorn Ore judos
(known to fans as Etienne).
All of these hardcore works of art were
created from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s.
Many were originally secretly disseminated
via photographs, mimeographs and hand (or
even traced) copies. Yet, despite the suppres
sion of the times, their sexuality and eroti
cism are potent with graphic depictions of
oral sex, anal sex,
glory holes, interra
cial coupling,
bondage, trans
sexuals and orgies.
Clearly, some of
today’s gay artists working
in pencil or ink (such as
Glen Hanson of Chelsea
Boys) have been influ
enced by these masters,
and this collection is a
wonderful way to
explore the passions
of an earlier time.
(Not to mention it’s
really hot.)
T he same, how
ever, can’t be said of
the essays. Over
written, pedantic
and downright
dull, these dreary
dissertations are
sometimes
unreadable and
leave the reader
wishing that
Waugh’s ardor
for his collec
mi
tion had been
reflected in
his writing.
— FS
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A loving tribute to the
wide spectrum that is trans
London, Crossing the Line
bursts with colorful photos