Exchange: Male Sociality and Leisure

Male Sociality and Leisure

A portrait of two men and a dog. The man on the left is wearing a hat and white shirt; he has a large moustache. The older man to the right is wearing a plaid button down shirt.

Shelby Lee Adams
Lincoln, Maw and Shorty
gelatin silver print on paper
11 in x 14 in (27.94 cm x 35.56 cm)
Gift from the Collection of David S. Rosen MD, MPH

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In a dim lit interior space, a man with a pool cue in hand shoots a ball on a pool table. Two men observe, one seated in the background and the other standing adjacent to the pool player. The figures sport bow ties, dress shirts, and vests.

George Wesley Bellows
The Pool Player
lithograph on paper
11 in x 6 in (27.94 cm x 15.24 cm)
Dr. Herbert & Doris Sloan

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A man giving water to a seated boxer in the ring. The opponent is seated in the other corner of the ring.

George Wesley Bellows
Between Rounds
lithograph on paper
16 1/2 x 20 1/2 in. (41.91 x 52.07 cm)
Dr. Herbert & Doris Sloan

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People on a stage and the audience below. There is also a large audience behind the stage.

George Wesley Bellows
Introducing Georgess Carpentier
lithograph on paper
20 1/2 x 14 5/16 in. (52.07 x 36.2 cm)
Dr. Herbert & Doris Sloan

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Boxing match. One man on the mat being counted out by the referree. Winner is standing in the corner.

George Wesley Bellows
Counted Out
lithograph on paper
12 x 13 3/8 in. (30.48 x 33.97 cm)
Dr. Herbert & Doris Sloan

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Two boxers trade punches in a ring with the referee close behind and the crowd cheering. One boxer is pushing the other with his forearm.

George Wesley Bellows
A Stag at Sharkey's
lithograph on paper
24 in x 18 3/4 in (60.96 cm x 47.63 cm)
Bequest of Doris and Herbert Sloan

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Two men and a dog. The dog has a paw on the one man's leg while he is petting it. The other man is standing with his elbow leaning on a mailbox.

D. James Galbraith
Hartland: Change in the Heart of America
vintage gelatin silver print on paper, laid down on board
11 x 13 1/2 in. ( 27.94 x 34.29 cm )
Gift from the D. James Galbraith Family

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Bruce Giffin
Music on the Streets of Detroit, from "Detroit Focus 2000"
black and white photograph on paper
14 in. x 11 in. ( 35.5 cm x 27.9 cm )
Gift of Detroit Focus 2000, and partial purchase with funds from the Jean Paul Slusser Memorial Fund

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Basil Hawkins
Card Game
lithograph on paper
12 3/10 in x 17 7/16 in (31.27 cm x 44.29 cm)
Courtesy of the Fine Arts Collection, U.S. General Services Administration, New Deal art project

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A photograph of three young men standing in front of an outdoor, concrete wall. The man on the left wears a white T-shirt, the man in the middle a button-down, and the man on the right, an unbuttoned shirt, holding a cigarette in his right hand.

Danny Lyon
Three Young Men
gelatin silver print on paper
14 in x 11 in (35.56 cm x 27.94 cm)
Gift of Thomas Wilson '79 and Jill Garling '80

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Photograph of a boy holding a puppy. He leans against a car, in which another boy sits in the driver seat, leaning back against the seat.

Danny Lyon
Knoxville, 1967
gelatin silver print on paper
11 in x 14 in (27.94 cm x 35.56 cm)
Gift of Thomas Wilson '79 and Jill Garling '80

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A photograph of a group of four young men in football jerseys and casual attire walking down the street. Behind them are two steel rolling doors covered in graffiti.

Danny Lyon
Carlos Leaving the Football Game
gelatin silver print on paper
11 in x 14 in (27.94 cm x 35.56 cm)
Gift of Thomas Wilson '79 and Jill Garling '80

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In "Between Men" gender theorist Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick introduces the concept of "homosocial desire," noting that men form bonds with other men that create intimacy, closeness, care, and support, most often unaccompanied by sexual desire or interest. While Sedgwick connects her analysis to broader social structures, homosociality (and homosocial desire) is most evident in depictions of leisure.

This group of objects focuses on the social worlds of men, spanning from card games to nightclubs to boxing matches and hockey fights. How does viewing these objects through the lens of homosocial desire affect our understanding of them? What does intimacy among men look like?