In the early times before Judeo-Christian-Moslem concepts were brought about, most of the tropical and temperate climates of the world were nothing more than one big nudist colony. The Greeks and Romans lived in a society of "clothing when necessary", frame of mind. Bathing, as well as sports, was enjoyed in the nude, as witnessed by the early olympic games in Greece. The term Gymnos, Greek for naked, was how these athletes competed. They also trained nude in their respective sports. With the demise of the ancient civilizations and the beginning of a religion that stressed the sinfulness of sensuality, nudism was on the decline. Body shame was on the rise.

A 16th century Christian group of Puritans strongly opposed the religious tolerance of the Church of England. With their exile to New England, they became the non pleasure, morality enforcing people associated with puritanism. They were so afraid of the lust that they refrained from bathing, because in their eyes, it promoted nudity. Many religions that are outraged at nudity avoid the fact that Jesus was naked at his baptism.

In Europe, the Renaissance period had risen the awareness of body acceptance in the field of art. As the Renaissance progressed, America remained in a mindset of religiously reinforced ideas that would dictate cultural morality for centuries. There were some so called, "radical thinkers", including Henry David Thoreau and Benjamin Franklin. They found benefits in their daily naked walks, or as they were called, "air baths", but they were in the minority.

By the turn of the twentieth century, mainland England was far more advanced and tolerant of the nude body than the Unites States. Many classic works of art considered masterpieces in England, were banned in the United States. One such work of art was "September Morn", a painting of a nude bather. This work was banned by The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice and its leader, Anthony Comstock.

While the U.S. was banning art work of naked bathers, the first nudists were freeing themselves of Victorian era prudence and bathing naked in Lubeck, Germany at Freilichtpark (free light park). (1903-1981). They stressed a healthy naked lifestyle. It included daily exercise, a spartan like outdoor living, and vegetarian diets. By 1929, immigrant Germans and visiting Germans brought this lifestyle to America. After some arrests, there was a favorable court ruling in New York allowing social nudity between men and women, without being lewd. For the first time in America, the concept of social nudism got national attention.

The National Nudist Conference was formed in America in 1933. It later became the American Sunbathing Association. By the mid 1930's there were approximately eighty nudist camps across America. Most of these nudist camps still followed the philosophy of nudism as a healthy regiment. Many organized, "landed clubs", were very selective of who could become members.

The rebellious outspoken flower children of the 1960's were not about to hide the open acceptance of nudity. The new free spirit of, "make love not war", attitude was based on an honest body acceptance. The only question was, why not be open about it. Acceptance of the nude body was the natural attitude of this generation. They experienced the freedom of being nude at the beach and in streams, as well as at home. Sometimes called "The Free Beach Movement", the 1970 philosophy of open nudism would later be coined Naturism.

Because of the overbearing religious beliefs in America, Europeans have enjoyed more personal freedoms than Americans. For many years European tourist beaches have enjoyed a topree environment for women. Nude beaches are not uncommon in many parts of Europe.

Modern nudism began in Germany and France. A nudist resort city on the Mediterranean, Cap d' Agde, now exists in France. Nudity in general has become acceptable in Denmark and The Netherlands. There have been many public nudist activities in both countries. All but two of Denmark's beaches are clothing optional.

The Naturist Society was formed in America to provide information and support for naturist and nudist groups in the country. The Naturist Action Committee is a monitoring and support group that supports the rights of nudists and naturists nationwide. One of its goals is to protect our rights from the closed and narrow minded fanatics that do not understand the theory of our lifestyle.

Nationwide opinion polls taken in the years of 1983 and 1990 show that 72% of Americans polled approve of designated clothing optional beaches. To this date, roughly 30 million Americans have had some form of mixed social nudity. Other polls show that some 73% of Americans have skinny dipped with the opposite sex in their life.

According to available records, social nudism first appeared in Canada about 1939. With no apparent connection, it seems to have started at that time in both British Co1umbia and Ontario.

It was then that the Van Tan Club found its site on the side of Grouse Mountain, overlooking Vancouver. In this same year, a nudist group formed in southern Ontario; but their resort, Norhaven, about ten miles east of North Bay, did not open until 1948.

These founders of Canadian nudism were mostly immigrants from Europe who had gained experience with the nudist movement which had started there about 1900. WhileWorld War II soon suspended their nudist activities, it unknowingly provided a great impetus to nudism. Canadian troops were exposed to its influence in European cultures. Post-war immigration brought to Canada from these cu1tures many who had personal experience with nudism.

As a result, there were enough dedicated nudists around to band together in 1947 to form the Canadian Sunbathing Association (CSA). However, they were soon to come under the influence of the American nudist movement, which had been growing steadily since 1929. The inevitable result was that in 1954, at the 8th Annual Convention of the CSA, the decision was made to make the CSA a regional unit of the American Sunbathing Association (ASA), that country's largest nudist organization. The result, however, was far from the ideal association expected and, due to divergent opinions between leaders and membership in western and eastern Canada, it was agreed in 1960 to form two regional units of the ASA, the Eastern and the Western Canadian Sunbathing Associations (ECSA and WCSA).

However, continued feelings of unrest, strongest in eastern Canada, brought about further change. In 1964 the ECSA decided to return to being an autonomous Canadian organization. The WCSA has continued on as an ASA regional unit and, with the recent change of name by the ASA to the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), the western Canadian organization has become the Western Canadian Association for Nude Recreation (WCANR).

In l974, the ECSA became interested in expanding its activities beyond southern Ontario and attempted a reorganization. This was not successful, and several years later the organization faded away. But there was still a growing enthusiasm for naturism in eastern Canada. In 1978 the Federation Quebecoise de Naturisme (FQN) was founded in Quebec, and in 1986 the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) was founded in Ontario.

Again, starting in Europe some years ago, nudism evolved into a much broader movement called naturism, which inc1udes all aspects of human well-being and also humanity's relationship with its natural environment.

Happily, acceptance and interest in naturism has grown considerably in past decades. The Canadian federations and associations, along with their associated resorts, clubs, and groups, continue to grow and flourish.

The FCN has contributed much to this interest in naturism by being a ready source of information to the media, participating in media presentations, holding seminars on naturism, and presenting naturism to the public at a booth at health fairs. It publishes half a dozen brochures covering different aspects of naturism and continually distributes these wherever possible. It also publishes its quarterly bulletin Going Natural, which has been going out to all FCN members and subscribers since the organization was founded.

The simple fact that the FCN exists to do all this work as a nationally incorporated fully autonomous Canadian non-profit organization with directors and staff ready to openly discuss all aspects of naturism has greatly added to the credibility and public acceptance of naturism and the interest of the media.

Naturism in Britain has grown from the reforming zeal of many people. As early as 1891 a short-lived 'Fellowship of the Naked Trust' existed in British India with objects and ideals similar to many later clubs. Of more lasting influence were the efforts of H C Booth who, influenced by news of the German naturist movement, published articles in various magazines. His theories were apparently not put into practice until 1922 when the English Gymnosophist Society was formed, using a site at Wickford in Essex, as well as holding winter meetings in London. In 1926, renamed the New Gymnosophy Society, it bought a site at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire, an area which has since been the home of many clubs.

Another pioneer of the movement was N F Barford who recommended, as a step towards social nudity, wearing minimum clothing for sunbathing. The hot summer of 1928 encouraged public tolerance, and health movements were publicising the benefits of sunlight. In this climate of opinion, Barford launched his Sun Bathing Society, which promoted sun and air bathing for families.

Naturism was also practised, with or without light costumes, at the Welsh Harp in Hendon, apparently from as early as 1921, though it attracted no public attention until physical attacks were made on the sunbathers in 1930. They formed an association which shortly became the National Sun and Air Association and which ran national advertising campaigns as well as a gymnasium in Westbourne Grove in London. By 1937 membership was 2,350, with a London office.

Attempts by Barford to form a lasting national federation of clubs failed, and it was not until the Arcadians of Sun Hill urged national co-operation that in 1943 the 'British Sun Bathing Association' was founded. The association grew until in 1951 there were 51 clubs or groups in membership. Personal and ideological differences led to the formation of the rival 'Federation of British Sun Clubs' in 1953, a breach that was not healed until the formation of the Central Council for British Naturism (now often called British Naturism) in 1964.

Since the war, Britain has been host to International Naturist Federation congresses in 1958, 1970 and 1978. Meanwhile, increasing acceptance has led to the public showing of naturist films from 1957, the hire of public baths for naturist swimming from 1965 and the setting aside of public beaches for naturist use from 1978.

Michael Farrar, Archivist