Sylvia Hand

[John Hand]

Originally Posted by john_thomas

Sylvia Hand, another nude model from the early 60's uninhibited and popular in the nudist magazines . . .

I am John Hand, the husband of Sylvia Hand from the late 50s through the late 60s. Many of those photos were taken by me, and the man playing checkers with her, is me. Someone said that sepia tone (Group) photo was not her, that is correct. Pull that one out.

Sylvia was the ASA (American Sunbathing Association) queen in 1964 and a couple of those photos were taken at that time. I don't have them in front of me to refer to now and comment on, so will have to end here.

[rumfungle]

Thank you John for adding some history behind the images.

-r

[John Hand]

Originally Posted by Sunluv

We all thank Sugarbare for these great posts...!!!!

The photo of the four women arm in arm....I vaguely remember the other three, but the cute gal on the left was, if I remember correctly, the daughter of the owners of Lazy-K Nudist park, which used to be located in the hills above San Bernardino, CA and one year a university bought the land, and the park went bye bye.

[John Hand]

Originally Posted by John Hand

I am John Hand, the husband of Sylvia Hand from the late 50s all through the 60s. I took most of those photos. Some were in Death Valley, some at Shangri-La nudist park near Phoenix, and some on the beach along US 101 NW of Santa Barbara, CA.

Two of three of those photos (I do not have them showing now so can not go back and refer to them) were taken when Sylvia won the ASA (American Sunbathing Association) queen contest held at Penny Sylvan Nudist Resort in Pennsylvania in 1964. There are other photos on this site that are titled PennSylvan 68 etc but we were only there one time, in 1964.

Sylvia was featured on the front cover of Strength and Health Magazine three times, and had a large feature article inside in another issue. She was shown, for real, benching 150 and squatting with over 200 on her shoulders. This was at a time when women did not lift heavy weights. S&H was all excited about her because she was curvy and muscular. This was before women starting trying to look like men, as today.

One of the covers of S&H even featured our daughter with her. She also was selected by Arthur P. Jacobs of APJAC Productions to play the part of 'Nova" with Charlton Heston in the original Planet of the Apes, but the budget fell through, another year or so passed, and later a gal named Linda Harrison I think, got the part.

During the years 19 say 69 through the early 70s I was probably the most published photographer in the country, having work in many nudist books, glamour books, car and motorcycle books. I was the staff photog of Road Test magazine, Cycleguide, and the editor of Custom Chopper, for instance. Yes, those were fun times.

To add to this post the next day. Sylvia was very strong. Men used to challenge her to arm-wrestling contests and she usually won. After a while she quit accepting challenges because the men were so embarrassed to lose. Those reddish looking photos of her in the trees, those are Eucalyptus trees and the photos were taken at Calyptus Grove Nudist park in Fresno, CA.

[sugarbare12]

More Sylvia

[hypercat77]

Originally Posted by John Hand

I am John Hand, the husband of Sylvia Hand from the late 50s through the late 60s. Many of those photos were taken by me, and the man playing checkers with her, is me. Someone said that sepia tone (Group) photo was not her, that is correct. Pull that one out.

Sylvia was the ASA (American Sunbathing Association) queen in 1964 and a couple of those photos were taken at that time. I don't have them in front of me to refer to now and comment on, so will have to end here.

Hi John ! - First, a much deserved thanks to you and Sylvia for the many years both of you dedicated your time and efforts (and as a pioneering nudist photographer) to promoting American nudism (which to me is essentially an innate Body Freedom Right of everyone).

Of course, for anyone just discovering her pics, Sylvia was NOT just another good-looking nudist woman, but just from any pics of her one could immediately see that she was probably one of the very few 1960s female nudists who maintained a very noticeable healthfully fit and muscular figure (with a '60s pic-series of her exercising with gym weights strongly inferring it).

And that, together with her being remarkably beautiful (both physically and facially), AND a dedicated wife and mother, AND possibly the most cover-featured nudist of the entire nudist magazine era, makes her (similarly as with Bettie Page, IMHO) one of the greatest nudist ICONS of the 20th Century !

So now, time-jumping 50 years back to 2014....Could you please update your and Sylvia's many admirers on what has transpired since that amazing Era ended ?....If you would, please share with everyone here some current info about you, Sylvia and both your involvements with the nudist movement.

BTW, i think if you were to get all your (now historic) pics of her and other nudist icons of that time and teamed with a mega nudism-image collector (like our sugarbare12 here, maybe), you could easily produce a fantastic (and huge) pictorial coffee table book on an amazing long gone era !!!

- Paul M. / hypercat77 (the "someone" who pointed out that sepia pic as NOT being one of Sylvia)

[sugarbare12]

Sylvia

[John Hand]

Originally Posted by john_thomas

Sylvia Hand, another nude model from the early 60's uninhibited and popular in the nudist magazines . . .

The photo of the blonde woman with five women showing around her is NOT Sylvia Hand. Pull that one. I am/was her husband

[John Hand]

Originally Posted by sugarbare12

Sylvia Hand

The photo of Sylvia holding onto a baby blue ladder at the pool was taken in our backyard in Canoga Park California. I painted that ladder and also the diving board in that color. In the background you see a 'Tiki Hut' that could be opened and have drinks served.

[sugarbare12]

Sylvia