Edwin Townsend (1878-1948) and Tony Sansone (1905-1987) were an amazing team as photographer and model. Townsend bridged the strong man and physique eras of beefcake photography, being most active in the field between 1915 and 1940. Sansone was a prominent early proponent of healthy living, exercise, and sane bodybuilding. Townsend saw Sansone in a stage production in 1929 and photographed him many times over the following decade. So today, I am featuring five of my favorite Townsend photos of Tony Sansone.
Classic, streamlined, athletic body - with a wonderfully nappy bush. Tony is one of those guys who would look terrific in a Superman costume. I can also see him killing it as a dark and handsome Clark Kent.
ReplyDeleteI agree on all counts, Leroy. Seeing Tony today is like a breath of fresh air when all one sees in modern bodybuilding circles is steroid-infused grotesque caricatures of men.
DeleteIf memory serves me - and it was a very very long time ago - I seem to remember his photo as one of several bodybuilders whose photographs were on the back page of 1940s/50s comic books advertising various weight training programs - the names George Jowett and Joe Weider also come to mind -those ads certainly sparked something in my pre-adolescent mind - along with Captain Marvel Jr. in his blue body suit -
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Tony not only ran a group of successful New York area gyms, but he had a popular home study course that ran ads on comic books. He and Charles Atlas were my favorites, and I even have a semi-nude photo of them together.
DeleteNice body and fabulous hairy pubes....i like !!!!!
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