Early 20th Century Pairs

Today we will look at a variety of men in pairs from around 1900.

We start with this photo from Koch's Freilicht series.

 

Dynamic duo

I have a set of twelve photos of these two in all sorts of positions, none particularly sexy.

 

Eyes closed

Did the photographer intentionally pose these two with their eyes closed, or did he manage to snap the shutter just as they both blinked?  I snagged this in the dying days of tumblr with no info.

 

Schultz?

A number of German photographers worked in and around Taormina, Sicily, but this photo came to me labeled as by Arthur Schultz.  I can't find anything to confirm that, though.

 

Getting to know you

These two seem to be just getting warmed up.

 

Timeless?

I'm not really sure how old this photo is, but I like it.

 

Swords

Swords are among the most popular props used in physique photography, and today we'll see six examples of their use.  We start with Tony Sansone photographed by Earle Forbes, and finding this inspired me to do a long overdue Forbes double feature that will appear in a couple of days.

 

Kim and Hugh

Kim Fox and Hugh Pendleton give us the best of both worlds in this photo by Bruce.

 

Thomas Hubert

Arax Studio of Paris took this photo of Thomas Hubert in 1949.

 

Bill Derrick

I came across this Dave Martin posing strap photo of Bill Derrick while researching 

this series, and I just couldn't leave it out.  The man is just so damn good looking.

 

Gene Meyer

Denny Denfield caught Gene Meyer cutting an impressive seaside figure here.

 

John Manning

John Manning made the rounds of a number of photographers,

but was apparently working for Dave Martin the day this was shot.

 

George Platt Lynes Double Feature, Part 1

If you think this is a bit of a carryover from yesterday's lighting series, you wouldn't be far from right.  George Platt Lynes was a master of lighting, and some of today's photos show it.

We start with a picture of Lynes himself made by his friend Jared French.

 

Standing

A young man standing on a bed is a bit garishly lighted, but it works.

 

Unknown Pair

 

I think of the Ritter Brothers when I look at this Lynes picture,

but it came with no date or models' names.

Jack

Lynes took a number of photos of Jack Fontan, as did his friend Jared French and the PaJaMa group.  The unfinished doorway shows up again elsewhere in Lynes' work.

 

1952

The only information I have on this Lynes photo is the date, 1952.

 

Shadows

Finishing the nude half of our double feature with a photo in which the shadows

somehow reinforce the main image of the model's body.

 

George Platt Lynes Double Feature, Part 2 - Non-nudes

Part two starts with this beautiful photo of John Leapheart 

and R.X. McCarthy taken on November 1, 1952.

 

Nantucket?

This looks like the sort of work Lynes did while vacationing 

at Nantucket with friends, often including Jared French and Paul Cadmus.

 

Tex Smutny, 1943 . . . plus a mini "Whatever happened to"

Charles "Tex" Smutny (1925-1987) was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, but the family moved to Long Island, NY before he was five years old.  Still in high school when this striking photo was made, he had somehow come onto George Platt Lynes radar.  Speaking of high school, below is Tex's senior school portrait and his activity list from Long Island City High School's 1944 yearbook:  

He was in the army before the ink on the high school yearbook was dry, but he continued his education on the GI Bill as soon as World War II ended.  This is his 1950 Springfield College senior piece:

Tex eventually ended up as a dance instructor at Smith College.

 

1936

The photo is untitled and the model unnamed in this 1936 Lynes work.

 

Robert McVoy, 1941

Lynes took this picture of Robert McVoy in 1941, 

and it is a striking variation on the usual portrait style.