I was also a devoted reader of the National Geographic. Although the Geographic still manages to get in a little gratutious bare flesh from time to time, I don't think they are quite as generous with it as they used to be. I recall an issue, probably from the 60's, that was about a young German boy (grade school age) that was spending time with some local African (I believe--maybe South Sea Island) youth and believe it or not, he was totally naked in many of the photos. Nothing like that would be published these days, I imagine.
Overall, I don't find the magazine nearly as interesting as it used to be. Their focus is less positive, more negative and they don't seem to find as many interesting places to write articles about as they once did. But maybe it's me. I do know that their presentation of things was often fairly posed but then I expect that the presence of a camera would always change things.
I remember seeing a photo in an article from the 1950's about Emily Dickensen's home in Amherst, Mass. It so happened that I had a summer job there after I finished high school--in 1964. So one Sunday I went to visit the house and was invited in by these two little old ladies that were living there then. I mentioned the photo and they said, "Oh, yes, they moved furniture around" and so on. The photo was definately posed.
Another article was about Northern Virginia from an issue around 1960. I live there now and recognized everything in most of the photos. Boy, were the photos ever posed, with people having the goofiest smiles.
Sometimes in more recent issues some of the less than fully dressed subjects have been shown in less than flattering poses but I guess photo styles change.
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