Early 20th Century

Early 20th C. nudes is our theme for today, and we'll 

start with a rather matter of fact looking young man.

 

Gerontius

Mr. Scumbeast thought this odd photo was a reference to the legend of Gerontius, 

and he may have been right.  I got the impression of a nude man in a coffin, fwiw.

 

Odd hair style

This is a nice derriere shot, but the hair style baffles me.

 

1930

This 1930-ish photo reminds me of Earle Forbes early physique work.

Disclosure:  I used contrast enhancement to correct fading . . . and it still looks faded.

 

Hardware

Some interesting early 20th C. hardware in this one.

That chair doesn't look comfortable.

 

Brian Idol Day

It's time for another series devoted to the always popular Brian Idol.  We start with a 

color photo which is one of two in today's set for which I have no photographer's name.

 

Classical AMG

Bob Mizer used a Classical setting for this posing strap photo of Brian Idol.

 

Brian and Jim

Brian Idol appears here along with Jim Horn in the infamous AMG shower.

These two did an extensive amount of work together, mostly quite good.

 

Ringer

Bruce of LA used that white ring in a number of his more dramatically lighted photos.

I can't really describe why, but it really works to enhance even a great model like Brian Idol.

 

Furry derriere

Bob Mizer took an incredible variety of photos of Brian Idol,

and this has to be one of the very best derriere shots by anyone.

 

Bruce, not Milo

At first glance, I thought this dramatically lighted photo of Brian was by Pat Milo because of the dramatic lighting.  I quickly remembered, however, that Bruce of LA was quite capable in that regard.  And no, I don't think Bruce had to stuff a sock in that posing strap.  It's all Brian.

 

Unattributed

The photographer who took this reclining photo of Brian Idol is unknown, at least to me.

 

Rooftop Levis

I have quite a few photos of Brian on the AMG roof, but this one stands out because of the Levis and that belt buckle at the side which was a fad for a time in the 60s.

 

Pistol

Given the huge volume of work that Brian Idol did, it was inevitable that some photographer 

would do a Western theme.  In this case it was Bruce and just a pistol with no hat.

 

Thinker

 

While this AMG rooftop photo of Brian Idol is quite good, I can't help but note that it would have been even better if Bob Mizer had removed the posing strap that is just barely visible.

 

Boating Day

For Tuesday, we'll be examining some men and their boats, some of which are more vintage 

than the men.  This was a submission from an viewer who prefers to be anonymous, 

and I have to say that I find the design of the wooden boat to be quite interesting.

 

Rowboat

I can't tell what this guy is doing, but the rowboat is a classic.

 

Lakeside bum

This is for the Bum Brigade, and I'll say it ain't too shabby.

 

Nudist

My source called this a mid-20th C. nudist, and the all over tan confirms that.

The boat, however, looks like it was already an antique at that point.

 

Bulgaria

This is supposed to have been made at a Bulgarian Black Sea beach in the early 20th Century.

 

Douglas of Detroit Bush

Today we look at five unknown Douglas of Detroit models who are heavy in the bush department.  

This guy may also have the biggest grin in the history of physique photography.

 

Bushy all around

This guy has bushy going on up top and down below.

 

Over the shoulder

Doug Juleff could make somewhat unconventional poses work, as here.

 

Winning smile

This Doug Juleff unknown has a great smile.

 

Unknown rerun

I posted this amazing picture almost three years ago, but I'm repeating it because it is so good, and also because I still have some faint hope of someone recognizing the spectacular model.

 

Boxers Double Feature, Part 1 - Models

Our Sunday double feature's subject is boxers, and we'll start off the nude half with the only nude model in the set whom I think I can identify.  I'm pretty sure this is John Manning,

but I don't know who took the rather good photo.

 

Mystery

At first glance, I thought this was one of Bob Mizer's outdoor AMG photo sets,

but after looking at my files, I'm not so sure.

 

Duo

The guy at left looks familiar.  Could he be Jim Collette . . . or look like him?

 

Outdoors in nature

I have another photo of this guy with a bracelet and no boxing gloves,

but I have no information on either.

 

Champion?

I think this is a possible Champion . . . as in Champion Studio, not as in title holder.

I say that because those lockers look like some Walter Kundzicz used.

 

Boxers Double Feature, Part 2 - Boxers in trunks

The second half of our double feature turns to some more conventional boxers.  This is actor Steve Cochran who played a lecherous boxer in "The Kid from Brooklyn."  He looks authentic.

 

George

George Chuvalo, a Canadian of Croatian descent, was a major contender for the Heavyweight Championship at one point, having fought and lost in two championship matches.  His other claim to fame was never having been knocked down (never mind knocked out) in his 93 professional bouts, including the one in which he challenged Mohammed Ali for the world title.

 

Marcel

Marcel Cerdan (1916-1949) was killed in a plane crash at age 33.  In his regrettably short life, he had a very successful boxing career which included a World Middleweight title.  In the meantime, he managed to join the Allied forces to fight in North Africa and dated Edith Piaf after the war.

 

Ingemar

This is the well known and handsome Ingemar Johansson.

 

Unknown, but built well

I found this photo on a usually well curated website with no info.

 

Muybridge and Baseball

When Englishman Eadweard Muybridge did his motion studies at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1880s, it was only natural that he would turn the student athletes as models.  As an added bonus, the sports they pursued made good thematic matter.  Today we will look at just a few of the many baseball themed sequences Muybridge did.  The young man with the stunning muscles above is Robert Edward Glendenning, and you'll be seeing more of him as he appears in three of today's five works.  Of interest to you Brits, Muybridge also did some cricket studies.

 

Baseball GIF

Someone created this GIF from Muybridge's original still frames,

but there are clips on line of his sequences as they would have appeared back then.

 

Robert at Bat

These three batting frames really show off Robert Glendenning's musculature.  

Enlarge them if you can and then take a look at his handsome portrait below:

 

Throwing

I don't have an ID for this student athlete throwing a baseball.

 

Robert one last time

 

I'm still looking for more segments from the sequence that contains 

this frame of Robert Glendenning about to catch a baseball.

PaJaMa from the Smithsonian

I recently spent a full day reviewing the photos that PaJaMa Collective member Margaret Hoening donated after her husband Jared French's 1988 death.  The most striking thing was the sheer number of nude photos (mainly at the beach) of French.  There were others, however, and today I will post a mix of the Smithsonian PaJaMa material.  This model is unnamed, but looks familiar.

***If you want to know more about PaJaMa, click the label for previously posted details.***

 

Unknown

When Margaret Hoening French donated her late husband's photo collection to the Smithsonian, it went to them without much curation.  There are some models and figures who are known, and a few scribbled margin notes. but there are some great images of men whose names we don't know.  

This dark haired reclining model is an example.

 

Dream time

With PaJaMa, we often don't know for certain who took a particular photo, but whoever 

took this one captured a beautiful image.  The grass, the flowers, Jared . . . all perfect.

 

Lynes 1941

This 1941 photo from the Smithsonian's PaJaMa collection features George Platt Lynes.

Is he drinking from a large oyster shell?

 

Paul and Jared

This photo is probably by Jared French's wife Margaret Hoening, the Ma in PaJaMa.

It shows Paul Cadmus modestly draped while French is typically full on nude.

In the art half of today's double feature we will look at some of Cadmus' work.

 

Paul Cadmus

Paul Cadmus had a successful career both before and after he was a part of the PaJaMa Collective.

Today's art series features some of his work, and this portrait is by Carl van Vechten,

a photographer whose work I have featured on the blog several times.

 

Relaxed or not?

The model in this Cadmus piece looks relaxed, but I don't know if that position is all that relaxing.

 

1965 Bench

I'm not sure, but I think this model appears later today in a different pose on the bench.

 

And now for something completely different

This is "The Fleet's In," a 1936 piece commissioned as part of the New Deal.  After only a few weeks on display, the Navy Secretary had it removed . . . and installed for a time in his home.  There's so much going on here that I don't know where to start.  The blonde man in the suit is trying to pick up the Marine and offering him a cigarette over a passed out buddy.  The two sailors at right seem more interested in each other than the floozies in front of them.  And then there's an old lady at far left.