Rub-a-dub-dub, Men in Tubs, Part 2 - The Shy Types

Part two of our tub extravaganza features some men who weren't quite ready to show it all.

We start with a 19th Century crowd in a corner.

These three seem to be getting quite close and personal in their tub.

The tan from the neck up may indicate that this fellow worked outdoors fully clothed.

These three guys aren't quite as conveniently arranged as today's other trio.

They do, however, seem to be enjoying themselves.

This attractive man in a wooden tub reminds me of a celebrity,

but I can't remember exactly which one.

Rub-a-dub-dub, Men in Tubs, Part 1 - Washtub Baths

There aren't nearly enough tubs to go around here, so I wonder how they worked it.

The only way this shower/tub combo makes any sense to me is if he's only using the shower bit to rinse off.  They couldn't be planning to reuse the water, could they?  I hope not.

This Bum Brigade special has a guy missing something at right.

This is the second of today's photos in which there could be some combination of shower and tub bath.  If you look closely, you can see what might be shower heads overhead.

Once upon a time as a teenager, I got a bath exactly like this due to a plumbing

 mishap at my grandfather's ranch.  We had to boil water on a stove and pour it into the tub.

Men on the Rocks

Saturday's theme is men on the rocks, and we start with a guy who really knows how to play to the camera.  Like all of the other photos today, I know nothing about this one.
Edited to add:  The model is identified in the comments as John Weideman.

This one is just strange.

I don't think these two are going to succeed in moving that rock . . . if that's even what 

they're trying to do.  I'm sure Albert and the Bum Brigade will like it regardless.

Sometimes big rocks are by the ocean with naked men on them.

OK, so we can just barely see the rock in this one, but it is there after all.

Stonewall and the Road to Freedom

Fifty Years . . . we've come so far and still have a ways to go

As a freshman in summer school at the University of Texas, I remember being astonished when I heard about the Stonewall Riots in June of 1969.  I knew I was gay, but having grown up in rural Texas, I was also very deep in the closet.  I remember thinking how brave (and perhaps foolish) those people were.  Fifty years later, I have a deep sense of respect and gratitude.  Yes, I eventually got out there and marched myself, and I came out to people so they would know and understand gay people on a personal level instead of the awful stereotypes of the era.  Anything I could do, however, was nothing compared to those heroic souls who stood up and said,  "No more!"

So I'm posting a special series today to commemorate this epic event in gay history.  I know that not all of my viewers are gays, but I think all of us can appreciate the importance of Stonewall.  It started us on the road to freedom, and it is our responsibility to see that we honor their sacrifices and make sure that we reach full equality.  There is still work to be done.

Marsha P. Johnson was a brave trans woman who was in the front lines at Stonewall.  It should be remembered that it was the Drag Queens, Trans Folk, and utterly Queer persons who suffered most from the police oppression, being obvious targets.  It was also they who began the riots and set us all on the road to freedom.  This blog is about masculinity, but I know who was out there first taking the heat and leading the resistance to oppression.  We should all be grateful to them.

The riots went on for several nights, and our gay brothers and sisters pelted the police with coins, cans, bottles, and rubbish.  One participant said,  "I had a Molotov cocktail in my hand, and I didn't even know what one was until that night."  I don't generally approve of violence, but in this case I suppose we could see it as self defense.  And it was the point at which things began to change.

A clear message was sent:  The pansies weren't going to take it any more.

Many of those who participated in Stonewall were veterans of the Anti-War Movement, 

and the clenched fist was symbolic of resistance.

A year after the Stonewall Riots, the first gay pride march was held in New York.

The Mattachine Society of Washington was the earliest gay rights group in the USA, dating from 1950, and their presence at that march was typical of their brave history.

And finally, just a reminder that Stonewall was not the first case of brave gays taking a stand.

As I have said many times . . . 

We must never forget those who fought and suffered for our freedom.

Bearded Men, Part 2 - 19th C. Drawings

Our Friday art is all 19th Century academic drawings of nude bearded men.  

We start with an unknown artist and model.

An artist named Bazille drew this bearded man in 1863.

Otto Gebler made this interesting modified profile drawing about 1863.

I particularly like the beard even though it isn't fully visible.

I like the somewhat unusual positioning of the limbs in this 1870 drawing by Andre Henry Felix.

Unknown artist.

Bearded Men, Part 1 - Gaudenzio Marconi

Do y'all have any idea how hard it is to find genuine vintage nude photos of men with beards?  In the 20th Century beards did not become even remotely fashionable until the hippie era of the late 60's and early 70's.  Yes, one sees a very rare beatnik type in the 50's, but not often enough to suit me.  That leaves the 19th Century, and even then many models shaved.  Fortunately, Gaudenzio Marconi, a photographer who made photo albums of nude men for artists who couldn't afford live models, used quite a few bearded models.  So today's R series features his work from the 1880's.

Why am I suddenly thinking "stigmata?"

This bearded Marconi model has conveniently turned his head 

so that we can see his face and derriere at the same time.

This photo has been modified to produce some sort of cutout effect.  

The only question is whether Marconi did it himself (yes, it was technically possible at the time) 

or if someone came along later and did it.

This Marconi bearded model has a "woe is me" thing going on.

Men of Steel!

Today's series features physique models posed like Superman, the Man of Steel.

This Bruce of LA photo of Black Hawk is the only one of today's series which I have any info on.

I rarely say this, but I wish there were a color version of this . . . mainly because I have some Superman cartoons where he is standing against the blue sky in his cape and tights.

I couldn't leave the Bum Brigade out of the Man of Steel series.
Edited to add:  Unknown says in the comments that this is David Zurborg.

This is the least built up of today's models, but the fur factor makes up for it.

Superman didn't have tattoos, but they do add interest to this unknown model.

Boxers, Part 2 - Rocky Graziano Photographed by Stanley Kubrick

Rocky Graziano (1919-1990) was the World Middleweight Champion boxer in the late 1940's.  Today's G-rated photos of Rocky are, to the best of my knowledge, by Stanley Kubrick who later became a world class a film director.  We start with what appears to be a pre-fight medical check.

Here we see several trainers working on Graziano during a fight.

There are several Kubrick photos of Rocky with this rather crusty looking trainer working on him.

This looks like a post-fight session, and is far and away my favorite.

I wish I knew the background on this rather somber expression.

Ritualized weigh-ins became a regular part of the boxing scene in the early 20th Century,

but this might simply be a gym weight check.

Boxers, Part 1 - Assorted Nudes

Wednesday's theme is boxing, starting with a nude series in which I tried to avoid obvious physique models by the usual photographers, with this one being the most likely "miss" on that factor.

I almost used this Thomas Eakins studio photo of James Wright and Charles Brinton Cox in my most recent Eakins set, but now I'm glad I saved it for later.  Note the animal (cat?) skeleton on the table.

According to a French website, this early 20th Century boxer 

is being observed by men of the press at a ceremonial Paris weighing in.

These men look early 20th Century, and while the sharpness leaves something to be desires, 

the overall impression of the photo pleases.

This is Rocky Graziano in the closest thing to an R-rated image of him I could find.

He will be the subject of our entire G-rated series today, and some of those photos are quite sexy.

This one is for those of you who like them tall and lanky . . . in more ways than one.

If you look at the map on the wall, you'll see that someone flipped the image at some point.

I want to say this is AMG, but I have no documentation.
Edited to add:  My friend Boz sent a note saying this guy was known as Tall John.

Centerfolds

It's centerfold day, and I don't have much information on the material.  We'll start with what looks very much like a Jean Ferrero duo, but that's just an educated guess.

Something makes me think this is from an AMG film loop, but the staples are visible.

Perhaps Bob Mizer used a still from the film in his magazine.  Or maybe it wasn't a film?