Picturing Men

"There was a time in America when two men pictured with their arms wrapped around each other, or perhaps holding hands, weren't necessarily seen as sexually involved—a time when such gestures could be seen simply as those of intimate friendship rather than homoeroticism." [John Ibson]

Yes, I can say (in other words), men clearly were comfortable with each other, feeling free to openly express an unashamed and unselfconscious love, like deep fondness for all to witness—not hidden away on a "Brokeback Mountain", but in front of a camera, wholly without the coldness or the reassuringly exaggerated gestures that would come to mark photographs from a later time. I could see that the two photos shown below radiate playfulness, humor, warmth, physical intimacy, and calm affection. I found his interesting photos online and wanted to copy & paste it on here.



(Following is a progression of team sport photographs documenting a loss of physical closeness)









As you can see, team sport photographs went from men lying on top of each other (in a sweet and playful manner) to sitting down in chairs with their arms crossed or standing up with their hands behind their backs. Indeed, you should take a moment to compare and contrast the first photo with the last one.