?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 5,500 - $ 7,500
(NUDISM ARCHIVE) Outstanding collection of photographs, albums, letters, and ephemera tracing the lives of a husband and wife who were life-long nudists. Approximately 1,700 photographs, mostly silver prints with some Polaroids and color prints, sizes ranging from 2x3 to 8x10 inches (5.1x7.6 to 20.3x25.4 cm.), depicting Lyman and Affie Barry and friends hiking, tree climbing, playing Scrabble, swimming, camping, eating, relaxing, and taking photographs. Two 4to leatherette albums, 10 binders with photographs in archival sleeves, and various ephemera including address books, Eastern Sunbathing Association newsletters, news clippings, correspondence, and ID cards. 1920s-1990s
Captain Lyman F. Barry and his wife Affie were part of the pioneering generation of nudists in America. Lyman was from New Jersey and fought in WWII; his military diaries are archived at the New Jersey Historical Society. While many nudist organizations used professional photographers, this is a fine example of amateur photographs taken by someone intimately familiar with the members of the movement. Most of the activities depicted are standard and casual, but some poses give hints that Lyman and Affie were likely bisexual and possibly swingers.
Seeing a person nude at 20 years of age, at 90, and everywhere in between, is quite unusual, and this unique collection captures many of the moments of the Barrys' fascinating lifestyle.
