Life got away with this right until the (first) end, actually. As long as there was a “good” excuse – science, social science, serious art – they could ignore the complaints. “Shown at a serious photographic exhibition” would have been an excellent excuse.

Life once ran an article on women’s elastic-topped stockings that seemed to have no purpose but to show pretty girls with their skirts hitched up.

Now we know why Ike is smiling on the cover.

I don’t know if I’d want to do any more than wade in that opaque water.

In the late ’60′s to early 70′s Life ran an article about pornography. Yes, there were pictures.

However at that time there was also woodstock, the summer of love, and Altemont outside of SFO.

There were many groovy pictures taken during that groovy era!

Kosher Ham: As to Life running pictures of pornography? Only kinda

Firebrand38: Heh, the article on Matisse that follows that article in Life (well, after the congressional ethics article – which is a funny juxtaposition itself!) has more “nudity” in it that than the pr0n article…

Humans really need to get over themselves…

Andrew L. Ayers: The most annoying thing about American society to me is the streak of Puritanism that runs through it. The idea that someone, somewhere is having a good time and that they need to stop it right now.

I think it was in the very first issue of life in 1935 or 6 that they ran an article on the wonder substance, Celophane, and showed a pic of a cutie wearing it.

I’ve been looking through the Life archive in Google Books. Especially in the 1930′s and 1940′s, they did a lot of “leg art” photography, as well as pics of attractive coeds and actresses in revealing poses. A lot of ads of the time (stockings, corsets, etc.) could be considered risque. It was a different time, and attitudes were different.

dergutie: Nope, I searched the first issue and nothing on Cellophane

All isn’t lost however…I think I found what you remembered as a “Cellophane dress” was actually this. from January 11, 1937. And yeah, I’d say that was risque’.

Firebrand38: “The most annoying thing about American society to me is the streak of Puritanism that runs through it. The idea that someone, somewhere is having a good time and that they need to stop it right now.”

FB, we may not agree on everything, but I agree with you on that!

Terry Pratchett had a good take on the difference between ‘art’ and pornography. “There’s a urn in the picture. it’s art.”

Arg: So, true art has to be urned?

If I recall, it seemed like LOOK magazine almost always had at least one or two nudes in nearly every issue during the late 60′s