Butch Magazine by Request

A helpful and kind new follower of this blog has requested a series on Butch magazine, and I'm only too glad to oblige.  This publication appeared in the deluge of gay nudie magazines that sprang up when the U.S. courts liberalized the porn laws in the late 1960s.  It was put out by DSI, the first gay multi-merchandising company, and I only recognize a few of the photography attributions in the early issues.  None of the models are named, so there's more guessing to be done there.

 

It's late, and I'm tired, but I'm pretty sure this model appears 

elsewhere in today's Butch series subtitled differently.

 

This Butch model looks like he's been around the block a few times.

 

This Butch model and his doggie on a rug make for a nice domestic scene.

 

I'm not sure what the "Model of the Month Club" was,

but I would guess it was some sort of Butch promotion to sell pictures.

They did run ads for photo sales in the back of the magazine.

 

The photography credit for this Butch photo says "Jan Eyck" which I can't help 

but think is a play on the name of Jan van Eyck, a Dutch Master painter.

 

Galaxy Studios is one of several photography attributions 

in Butch that I can't seem to find any information on.  Anyone?

 

Like most of the photos by Arts Unlimited in my Butch magazine files, this one is outdoors.

If anyone has any information on this photographer, please let me know.

 

Butch drew from a rather wide array of sources for their photos, and this G-rated

 photo by Rod Crowther is an example of their more refined side.

 

This photo by Arts Unlimited is a bit overexposed, but it's not likely than any of you will object to the model being exposed.  Like all of today's Butch models, he is not identified.

 

Medical Exams

Those of you with traumatic memories of military induction exams may want to avert your eyes from today's series.  We start with some World War II era Germans.

 

The soldier at left is sizing up the guy on the scale and even has a measuring tape at the ready around his neck.  Meanwhile, a slightly chubby and bored recruit is waiting his turn at right.

 

This beefy guy is being measured by the U.S. Navy in 1943.

 

The Soviet Union in 1930 is the setting for this photo.

 

 

This looks more athletic than military.

RAW - Richard Allan White or Let's Do the Time Warp Again . . . stretching my era limits a little into the 80's

Richard Allan White, sometimes cleverly marketed by his initials RAW, became active in the gay publication art and illustration world in the 1970's.  I've had a lot of trouble finding information on him, but he appears to have been most active from 1975 to 1982.  I found fragments of a Torso magazine article/inteview with him from around 1980 that fascinated me, but only left me wanting to know more about him and see more of his work.  For our Friday art, I'm presenting five of my favorite pieces of his work from my limited collection, alternating with some of my favorite photos of the time.  We start with a locker room scene, probably from a gay bathhouse. 

 

Cowboy motifs play an oversized role in my small collection of Richard White's work.

Is that just the luck of my draw, or did he actually produce more proportionally?

Edited to add:  At least one expert says this is by Jim French of Colt during his "Luger" period, and I tend to thing he may be right.  See comment by Ron R. below for more.

 

Bill Cable was one of the absolute best (and most popular) models from the late 70's and 80's.

This photo is by Richard French of Colt Studio.

 

This standing male nude by White has a simple, yet effective approach.

 

Roy Blakey took this interesting photo of a standup guy and three others.

 

Richard White did a great job with this truncated derriere drawing.

 

I found this unattributed derriere beauty in a folder labeled "Playgirl Unknowns."

It's classic Playgirl and classic 70's.

 

This Richard White drawing gives the impression that both the athlete and his jockstrap are suspended in the air.  It's tempting to say it's unfinished, but I think this is the way he meant it to be.

 

You may be surprised to find this Western Photography Guild photo of Willie Lewis among some late 1970's pictures, but Don Whitman remained active well into the 80's.

 

 

This cowboy by Roy Dean is a good counterpoint for White's preceding drawing.

It is part of the preservation collection of the Leather Archive and 

Museum of Chicago, by whose kind permission I use it here.

 

Vic Seipke Day - A skimpy "whatever happened to"

It's time for a long overdue second feature series on Vic Seipke, a remarkable model who was a championship bodybuilder before during and after his career as a nude model for Douglas of 

Detroit.  Vic apparently escaped the repression that the Detroit police directed at Doug Juleff's 

models and not only managed to keep his bodybuilding career, but also worked until retirement as a Michigan firefighter.  At that point, Mr. Seipke moved to a Florida with his wife and reminisced:

He apparently took good care of himself over the years

 because he is still alive and well there at age 88.

 

This rural derriere image is the first of two pictures in today's series by Spectrum,

a studio about which I've been unable to get much information.  It's worth mentioning 

that derriere photos of Vic Seipke are rather rare, with only three in my collection.

 

It has been remarked that Vic Seipke's images range from boyishly engaging to intimidating. 

This Douglas of Detroit photo would definitely fall into the latter category, and that shadow 

below Mr. Seipke's brow immediately made me think of Boris Karloff in Frankenstein..  

I have to sadly add that I've come across a garish poor quality version of it marketed 

in the late 1960s without Doug Juleff's permission and without even crediting him.

 

Although we might wish for better picture quality, I am including this photo from the Lake Michigan shore because it is a very early example of photography from Bob Delmonteque.  It is worth noting that Vic Seipke either won or placed in bodybuilding competitions in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1962, 1976, and 1977.  He also appeared on no fewer than eight magazine covers.

 

This is the only frontal nude of Vic in my collection that is not attributed to Douglas of Detroit,

instead being described as photographed by Spectrum.  I do have photos of him by Spectrum, but they are all either posing strap or semi-nude, with the exception of today's derriere shot.  That makes me wonder if this is correctly labeled.  Anybody know?

 

\

Finishing the Vic Seipke series with this classic Douglas of Detroit photo.  I find it interesting on several levels.  First, the shadow of Vic's arm creates the illusion that he might be wearing a Speedo.  Whether that was intentional or accidental is unknown.  Second, the overall lighting differs between the lower and upper parts of his body, drawing the viewers eyes in different directions.  And finally, the trademark pompadour hairdo has a part in the overall effect.  Doug Juleff knew what he was doing.

 

Conga lines? Choo-choo trains? No, it's just miners giving a helping hand in the showers.

We can always count on coal miners to give each other a helping hand in the shower, and today we look at no less than 10 groups doing exactly that . . . in groups, no less.

We start with some fur, and a wet, but still impressive, mustache.

***This double series is dedicated to my dear friend Albert the Belgian,

who will find these photos appealing on two levels.***

 

Is coal dust so fine and permeating that it could coat the skin even through clothes?

Unless he worked nude, that would appear to be the case with the man at right.

 

I find it somehow interesting that the man at left didn't wash his face first.

Maybe he didn't want anyone to recognize him in a nude photo.

 

This trio appears to have cleaned up pretty well before the camera man got there.

 

The guy at left seems quite amused by the other two.

 

Second from left contrasts sharply with the other fellows,

but I find them all worth a look.

 

The walls of the shower look more beaten up and dirty than the miners,

but they do seem to be enjoying themselves.

 

Here's a long overdue photo for the chubby chasers.

 

This looks like a happy group with some fur out front.

 

 

Sometimes a duo is all that can be managed.  

At least this one has some extra features.

Jump!

Today we look at some physique models caught jumping by stop action photography.

We start with this ecstatic guy on Bob Mizer's roof.

Edited to add:  That's Joe Cataldi according to the_cham_cham in the comments.

 

These two look like they're trying to block a field goal at a football game.

 

If you look closely, you can even see the dust 

this jumper kicked up when he took off.

 

These three managed to all get off the ground at the same time,

but the one in the middle is a better jumper despite his grimace.

 

For a second I thought we had a trollop on a trampoline,

but I think he's just jumping off the ground poolside.

 

Nudists on the Fence

Today we look at some nudists and fences.

This guy has a necklace that looks like one of those pine tree car air fresheners.

 

He could get splinters doing that.

 

The nerdy glasses don't quite go with the spiffy surfer 

haircut, but whatever.  He certainly looks happy.