George Platt Lynes was a gay American photographer who loved to use nude male subjects throughout his career as a photographer. However, starting in 1933, he became well-known in New York as a photographer for fashion magazines, becoming one of the most sought-after in the industry. Many of his fashion photographs feature models in elegant poses and interesting props. For example, his photograph Lisa for Henri Bendel features a model delicately posed atop large, artistic cylinders while looking wistfully forward. Although the fashion photography paid the bills, it was not his exact calling. Because of the attitudes toward homosexuality at the time, Lynes had to keep his true passion and most influential work hidden, even though he was the proudest of his work with male nudes. He and his subjects, such as Yul Brynner, risked serious consequences for partaking in this work, which is why only a few of Lynes close friends knew about the nude photography during Lynes’s lifetime. Before Lynes died of lung cancer in 1955, he even tried to destroy most of his work, fearing any repercussions it might cause for him or his subjects. A lot of his work still survived, though, and it continues to be discussed and appreciated in modern times.

Fasman, Rebecca. “The Forgotten Legacy of Gay Photographer George Platt Lynes.” The Conversation, 11 Jan. 2019, theconversation.com/the-forgotten-legacy-of-gay-photographer-george-platt-lynes-107850.

Lynes, George Platt. Lisa for Henri Bendel, 1941. pleasurephotoroom.wordpress.co….

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by Arden McKendree

This 1942 nude photograph of Yul Brynner was taken during World War II. World War II occurred from 1939 to 1945 and was mainly caused by Adolf Hitler’s reign as Germany’s dictator. The Nazis are widely known for the massacre of millions of innocent Jews, but along with many other groups, they also targeted gay men, bisexual men, and men just merely accused of homosexuality. To Hitler, these men were seen as a threat to the birth rate and therefore a threat to the people of Germany and its population. They were devalued and dehumanized. Tens of thousands of them were arrested and held in concentration camps where they faced extreme cruelty. Some were forcibly castrated, and hundreds of them (maybe even thousands) were killed. Although Lynes resided in the United States, taking erotic nude photographs of other men during this time period would seem incredibly risky, especially considering that there were still laws against homosexuality and the selling of nude male photographs in the United States as well. Brynner was no stranger to persecution either; before coming to America, his family fled to China in 1928 due to the anti-bourgeois sentiment in Communist Russia when it was a part of the Soviet Union.

“From Juli to Yul: The Brynner Family Saga from Vladivostok to Hollywood.” Wilson Center, Kennan Institute, 26 Jan. 2004, www.wilsoncenter.org/event/jul….

Mullen, Matt. "The Pink Triangle: From Nazi Label to Symbol of Gay Pride." History, 3 Jun. 2019, www.history.com/articles/pink-….

“What Groups of People Did the Nazis Target?” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 4 Apr. 2024, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/what-groups-of-people-did-the-nazis-target.

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by Arden McKendree

When his nude photograph was taken in 1942, Russian-born actor Yul Brynner was not yet famous. He was still struggling and trying to make a name for himself. However, he did make his Broadway debut in 1941, playing a part in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Therefore, he wasn’t entirely unknown and unrecognizable, which tells a lot about his willingness to get photographed nude when it was so looked down upon during the time. Brynner was just on the brink of fame when he chose to risk his future. He became a very successful Broadway actor, starring in over 4,000 performances. He acted in films as well, and his breakthrough performance in the musical The King and I brought him immediate acclaim and a Tony Award in 1952. He continued his movie star career until the mid-70s. Although his achievements are interesting and impressive, it is noteworthy that this photograph shows Brynner’s authentic self before Hollywood and fame took over. Further into his career, he became known for his shaved head (as seen in Dorothy Wilding’s 1951 photograph Yul Brynner), but Lynes captured him as a young, struggling actor, still with his hair, doing whatever he could to get a little money and not caring what other people thought about it.

“Yul Brynner.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 3 Feb. 2025, www.britannica.com/biography/Y….

Wilding, Dorothy. Yul Brynner, 1951. www.npg.org.uk/collections/sea…*1cob5so*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTk5MzAwMTE4NC4xNzQ0MjEzMDkz*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*MTc0NDIxMzA5Mi4xLjEuMTc0NDIxMzE5Ni4wLjAuMA.

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by Arden McKendree