Wow, I did not know that! Do you have a source for that data? I wold love to see some vintage photos from that era.That said, I'm going on 68, and even after spending six years in the Navy back in the late 70s, I still have no tattoos. I fear my mom coming back from the dead and haunting me if I do! :D
Gilette came out with its "Safety Razor" in 1901. But by the 1920s, women starting wearing flapper dresses, and most of these dresses were sleeveless. Hence, women starting shaving their arm pits. The dancing styles that came with flapper dresses also demanded they shave their legs.
The concept of women shaving their bodies became a fad, and many women took it to extremes, shaving their entire bodies, including all of their pubic hair. Eventually the fad died out, but the practice of shaving pits and legs continued, and many continued to shave their pubes, or trim them. The practice of trimming pubes grew in popularity again when bikinis were introduced. As bikinis grew smaller, shaving pubes became vogue again.
https://womensmuseum.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/the-history-of-female-hair-removal/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_removal_of_leg_and_underarm_hair_in_the_United_States
Back in the 1970's I was an aspiring artist in a life class. The model caused a spontaneous gasp from all the artists as he took off his robe. His pubes were shaved!!! Not only that - there was a big tattoo where his pubes would have been.It's interesting how things have since changed. I'm starting to see more and more younger girls and guys who are keeping their hair and staying with the natural look. I wonder if it's gonna make a strong comeback?
We can only hope! Strongly prefer the natural look on both men and women.
One difference which is clear between older and more contemporary pictures is facial expressions. Early cameras had long exposure times and required a frozen exposure. When cameras became consumer items, people's expressions become more natural. Now it seems at least in the US that we've gone back to frozen expressions with big cheesey smiles made worse with photoshop which considers all teeth to be white flourescent lights. Professsional shots are usually more natural. In terms of nudes, I like how vintage ones have a casual look where nudity is incidental rather than the "come hither" prostitutety look often conveyed in contemporary shots.
There is a famous old painting of a naked woman (Chloe) in a pub in Melbourne and she has no pubic hair. The painting would be 100-150 years old, I'm guessing it was done after the gold rush in here in the 1850's. The pub had a particular bar dedicated to this painting as an attraction, people, mostly guys would meet there before or after going to see sport at the nearby MCG. It's a painting so who knows if that is accurate from the day and that was the fashion or if the artist chose to leave the pubes out so it wasn't too sexy for the time.