The last sitting: From a teacher who taught in a segregated black school to a firefighter who battled blazes with buckets of water, four centenarians pose for NUDE portraits at the end of their amazing lives

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 08:07 EST, 18 May 2014 | Updated: 08:10 EST, 18 May 2014

These striking pictures are the last taken of the four centenarians who posed for the series.

Photographer Anastasia Pottinger created the beautiful set after she photographed 104-year-old Rose as a favor. After being struck by the beauty of the images she decided to recruit other centenarian models that were more than willing to be pictured nude.

But the images are not as interesting as the models that posed for them.

100 years later: Missouri photographer Anastasia Pottinger produced nude portraits of four centenarians at the end of their lives. One of Pottinger's models poses above

The start: The project started when Pottinger photographed an 104-year-old woman named Rose as a favor and was struck by the beauty of the images. One of her four centenarian models pictured above

From infants to the elderly: Pottinger spends most of her time photographing babies, so this latest project was quite different for her

Lucy Hall was 101 when she posed but unfortunately died last year at 103.

Pottinger said: 'She was a teacher at a one room school house in the Missouri countryside.

'Her adventurous spirit really showed throughout the sitting.

Adventure woman: Lucy Hall traveled cross-country to work as a teacher in Arizona during the 20s. She shared pictures of her journey with Pottinger

'She was a real wild card when she was younger - after getting her teaching certificate her and some girlfriends drove across country to Arizona.That may not sound crazy but for a group of women to do that in the 1920s is really something.'

Pottinger also shot Coral Connors when he was 100 years old last year - unfortunately he passed away just a short while after the shoot.

'He was the only African American that I shot during the series,' the 43-year-old photographer added.

Color: Coral Connors, pictured, was the only African-American that Pottinger shot for the series

Gone: Connors, pictured, died shortly after his portrait was taken

Black school, white school: Connors, pictured, worked as a teacher before the time of integration

'He was a teacher during segregation and lived in a really small town in Missouri. When they integrated the schools he was offered a job teaching at a mixed school but he refused.

'He was told by a friend that his only job was putting the music up for the children to play and he didn't want to be in that position.

'Instead he travelled to Kansas where segregation was still in place and taught in a black school. He ended up being a very well respected school administrator.'

'Merle Starlin was also 100 when he was photographed but died one year later. He worked on a bucket brigade before they had fire engines. When there was a fire they would line up from the river to the house and pass the bucket along to the next man.'

'He was a really strict Methodist and my grandfather knew him well. He told me to not even think about asking him to take his top off but he was more than willing.'

Open-minded: Most of Pottinger's models wanted to remain unnamed in the images, but Merle Sparlin was more open. A picture of Sparlin's head above

Passed: Unfortunately, Sparlin, pictured above, died a year after his portrait was taken

Not shy: Sparlin pictured posing above

The things he's seen: In his lifetime, Sparlin worked for a bucket brigade before there were fire engines. He and other firefighters would line up from the river to the house to pass buckets of water

No way: Pottinger's grandfather knew Sparlin well and said the strict Methodist would not pose nude

Stripped: But Pottinger was surprised by how willing Sparlin was to participate

Laugh lines: Pottinger zooms in on Sparlin's face

Aged: Wrinkles encircle the neck of Merle Sparlin

Pottinger's last shoot was also her favorite - Francis Yeary - was shot when she was 100 and is now nearing 104 - she lived on the same ranch all her life.

'When I walked in she immediately offered me cake and coffee,' added Anastasia who lives in Missouri.

'You could never tell that she was 100 - she looks and acts more like 80.

'She was not backward in coming forward and immediately took all her clothes off saying she did not want to be out done by the other models.'

Lines getting clearer: Pottinger's favorite centenarian to photograph was 104-year-old Francis Yeary. One of the models pictured above

Hostess: Pottinger says Yeary looked more like she was in her 80s and offered her cake and coffee during their sitting

Forward: Pottinger says Yeary immediately took off her clothes for the sitting, now wanted to be 'out done' by the other models. A view of one of the models' stomach above

Pottinger usually makes her living as a baby photographer and often takes pictures of mothers giving birth.

Her amazing transformation to taking pictures at the end of people's lives came when Lucy requested to pose nude.

She added: 'It was merely an exercise in documenting her form in a beautiful way.

'My only instructions from her were to make sure she was not identifiable in the images. She was willing to do anything I asked of her.

Beautiful: 'It was merely an exercise in documenting her form in a beautiful way,' Pottinger says of photographing Lucy Hall. One of the centenarians pictured above

Bejeweled: One of the models wears a pearl necklace for her sitting

Scraped: A band-aid covers a wound on one of the centenarian models' arm

'When I later reviewed the images on my computer, I knew I was looking at something very special.

'It was when I began exhibiting the work that the idea to continue the series was born. The response to the images has been remarkable.Viewers are visibly moved by what they are looking at. Whether it's wondering, is this what I'm going to look like or remembering a loved one - the response seems to be universally emotional on some level.

'The first question I get from everyone seems to be how did you get these models.The first one came to me - the others have certainly been more difficult, although all of them have come to me through a known resource like a granddaughter or family friend.'

She added: 'Aside from the images themselves, the intersection of meeting my models and both of us taking that leap from chatting to making images of their bodies is where the excitement lies.

'It's that moment and the mutual trust that comes from the experience that is evidenced in the intimacy of the images.'

Epic journey: Two other shots from Lucy Hall's journey out west to teach in Arizona

Traveling cross country was certainly not as comfortable in the 20s as it is today. Above, another photo Lucy Hall shared from her trip

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