Pamela Green: the pioneering British nude model

f you were an aficionado of the female form in 1950s and 1960s Britain, your list would most likely have been topped by the name of Pamela Green.

During this time, she was the subject of what I consider to be the most striking photographs of the female nude ever done. Far from being mere ‘girlie pictures,’ these photos were elevated to a level formerly only occupied by oil paintings. Pamela worked with a number of prominent photographers, and produced a great deal of her own work. She combined the skills of a dancer, painter and model with her natural beauty, and created a vast body of work that stands as an unequalled monument to taste and talent.

The early years

Born in 1929, Pamela got her start doing nude modelling for photographers at the tender age of seventeen, right after the Second World War. Prior to this, she had done some modelling and nude life modelling for art classes at school to defray the costs of her art education. She was paid four shillings and sixpence an hour for costume sittings, and five shillings for nude sittings.

When a friend told her the hourly rate working with specialist nude photographers was a Guinea (21 shillings), Pamela didn’t have to think twice. And her first mentor, Dambusters war hero Douglas Webb, would go on to become her partner in later life.

Because of her age, Pamela needed parental permission for such work. But as she later recalled, this wasn’t a problem. “My mother didn’t mind in the slightest. My family were very open. There was no shame about nakedness, and my father was a very good artist, and used to love drawing nudes. He eventually did a wood sculpture of me in the nude, and it was just one of those things. They trusted me, and in those days the photographers were very straight, very proper.”

That first session led to Pamela becoming an in-demand nude model for camera clubs and other top photographers of the day such as Bertram Park, Angus McBean, John Craven, Zoltan Glass and Bill Brandt. She was also featured in numerous naturist magazines (including H&E when it was known by its longer title of Health & Efficiency), together with clothed shoots for magazines and fashion houses: so-called ‘corset work.’

Night and day

“A lot of the mainstream fashion models of the day turned their noses up at undergarment modelling,” Pamela recalled. “But if you did corset work, you got paid two Guineas an hour, so it was very profitable.”

That was during the day. At night, Pamela performed in a number of ‘Folies-Bergère’ type reviews in London. At one casino, she worked as a nude stand-in dancer doing just what the name implies, as dancers at that time weren’t allowed to actually dance/move around on stage whilst naked.

Opportunities she turned down meanwhile included moves to Miami and Paris, partly due to the somewhat nebulous nature of the offers, but also because of her dedication to what she perceived as her ‘art.’

“She regarded her body as an artisan regards his or her tools – something to be cared for in order to do quality professional work,” commented Douglas Webb in an interview. “She had a striking figure, and she took the requirements of her craft seriously. Her body was her instrument, and she cared for it like the artist she undoubtedly was. She had the rare gift of posing not just her body perfectly, but also her hands and feet as well, all in one movement. This was the result of her art and dance training, and the ability to take direction and concentrate on what she was doing.

“Also, she gave you the feeling of wanting the very best result possible. Quite a few of the girls were a drag to work with, with the feeling that this was a job to be done just to earn money. Pamela was different.”

The model professional

To the person viewing nude photos, a life of posing naked in front of the camera might seem like a bit of fun. Pamela knew it was often hard and demanding work.

“I joined a nudist camp in order to obtain an even tan,” she once explained. “No photographer would use a model with suntan marks. I also wore no restricting underwear or clothing when I was due to model, so there were no pressure marks on my body. And with the British weather being what it is, I’d often be shooting outside in the cold and the rain, for hours on end.”

I think it’s also appropriate at this time to make an observation regarding art nude photography in general. To most, the distinction between ‘art nude’ and ‘pornographic’ pictures is barely discernible. The fact that men are the primary buyers of such photos further muddies the waters, but there is a difference. Too often, the term ‘girlie’ or ‘nudie’ pictures lumps the bad in with the good. Professionally-done art nudes are of good quality, with well-posed models, often showing (in those days) only their bosoms and discreetly-displayed pubic areas. Old French postcard sets (the non-pornographic ones) were prime examples. Often denigrated as strictly naughty fare for perverts, they displayed a high degree of skill and artistic talent.

The primary differences between pornographic and art nudes are evident when you consider the subject matter. Pornographic photos show the most intimate aspects of the genitalia. Sometimes the very sex act itself is photographed. The art nude on the other hand is a celebration of the entire human form, be it male or female. The genitalia are often displayed but not emphasised. If a man and a woman are in the same photo, the sex act is never shown, or even simulated.

The beauty of the human form, and the play of light on that form, is the subject. Women in particular often smile at these explanations, especially when offered by enthusiastic males, but it is nevertheless a fact. The pornographic caters to lust; the art nude, while sensual and sometimes erotic, displays beauty.

Another factor to consider is the model’s face and eyes. If you look at art nudes, most of the time the model is not looking directly at the lens. She is on display like the subject of a still life. Only occasionally does she favour the viewer with a direct look, as if to say, “Yes, I’m a real woman.” The purpose here is not merely to titillate and excite male viewers but to create an appreciation for the artistic display of the female body.

Pamela agreed. “It is a matter of taste. The female and male body has been used by artists since recorded time. Think of the Venus de Milo, ancient Egypt and even further back. While I was still an art student, I had hitchhiked around France and Italy in 1949 for the prime purpose of visiting the major art galleries. In Paris, I saw the nude paintings of Degas and Renoir. In Florence, I spent hours in front of the Botticelli painting The Birth of Venus, and you can’t get more naked than that. I believe that a beautifully photographed nude is a work of art.”

Nudes and prudes

In regard to prudishness, Pamela had similar forthright opinions.

“I don’t understand what there is degrading about a nude body – we’ve all got one. To my mind, a complete nude is not sexy. A partially clothed nude can be sexy, and plenty of dresses are designed to show the legs or the cleavage, in an attempt to be deliberately provocative.”

But times always change, and in an interview in the 1990s, she offered a surprising answer to the question as to what advice she would give a young woman looking to embark on a career similar to hers.

“Don’t,” she said unequivocally. “Ninety percent of the pictures published today verge on the pornographic, and this is the kind of work that you would be asked to do. There seems to be no market now for really good nudes. Occasionally you may see one in an advertisement, but on the whole, most of the stuff is top-shelf rubbish.

“At the risk of sounding like one of those ‘back in my day’ people, I think it’s fair to say that when the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot were around, you had truly beautiful women and actresses with real glamour. The youngsters today are still curious about that era, and their legacy lives on. Today, it’s a case of anything goes and everything shows – and how do you follow on from that?”

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THE BIG SCREEN

Because she was so involved in photography, Pamela’s filmography is a slim one. This was certainly not due to any lack of talent on her part. In fact, I find it remarkable how polished she was, working alongside far more experienced actors and actresses. This can be attributed to her theatrical training, as well as to a lot of natural talent.

Although she only appeared in two short scenes in Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom (1960), it is this film for which she is primarily known among fans. The only nude scenes in the film featured Pamela, and one of the best-known promotional stills shows her with co-star Carl Boehm.

She also appeared (fully clothed) in The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) and The Legend of the Werewolf (1975), which was her swansong as an actress. In between, working alongside another life partner, George Harrison Marks, she also featured in many of his naturist films, including Naked as Nature Intended (1961) and The Naked World of Harrison Marks (1965).

For more information go to the Pamela Green website www.pamela-green.com

©H&E Naturist 2025

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