Albert's Favorites, a Special Day of the Derriere

Any of you who read the comments will know that my dear friend Albert the Gay Belgian 

has a thing going for fine derrieres.  About a month ago, he sent me some favorite photos from 

his private collection, and I'm please to share five of them today.  We start with a fellow from 

the classic days of mid-20th Century physique photography.  Many thanks, Albert!

 

Trio

This early 20th C. trio shows how broad Albert's tastes run.

 

Lines

The tan lines are very distinct on this model, as is the string strap for the posing pouch.

I don't know why they left the pouch on when derriere shots were considered legal.

 

Friendly shampoo

It was this photo of one GI helping another clean up that caused me to run some of 

Albert's photos today.  When I was compiling yesterday's military outdoor bath series, 

I remembered that Albert had sent this one, so I decided it was time to give Albert his day.  

And yes, I literally free associate my way through life at times.

 

Jack

This is Jack Brasil (sometimes spelled Brazil) by Pat Milo.  When Albert sent me this one, 

I recalled having posted a similar photo from the same photo shoot.  I like this one better, though, because of the way Jack's body is aligned with the wagon wheel.  Great composition!

Many thanks to Albert the Gay Belgian for today's photos!

 

Outdoor baths for soldiers

Today we're going to take look at a variety of ways soldiers got makeshift baths in the field.  Those wonderful portable showers weren't always available, it would seem.  This is the first of two cases in today's series where a small stream was put to use for cleaning up.

 

Faucet

An outdoor faucet does the trick for these two, but the picture left me wondering 

if there wasn't an indoor option available in that substantial looking building.  

 

German pair

These two Germans with contrasting body types have found a small brook to take a bath in.

The one at left is what Miss Magnolia Thunderpussy called "well upholstered."

 

Bucket

Here we have an example of the trusty bucket bath with a bulldog view.

 

Aqueduct

I think these are soldiers having a wash in a ground level aqueduct in Italy.

 

Mustache Day, Part 1 - Colt Men

Today's double feature is all mustaches, starting with five Colt models.  When I started this, I quickly found out that there are more men with mustaches in my Colt collection than any other mid-20th Century photographers.  This is probably because Jim French's career hit its peak in the 1970s when everybody and his little brother had fur on their upper lips.

 

Kung Fu?

Is that some sort of martial arts jacket this guy is wearing?   

It's hard to find a picture showing both a derriere and a mustache, believe me.

Door knocker

For some reason, this photo shows up credited to Jim French rather than Colt.  Since Mr. French was Colt, I don't know what the difference might have been.  Does it predate Colt?  I don't think so, because that hair style is pure 1970s.  But I could be wrong.  I've been wrong before.

 

Paul

This color photo of Paul Barresi is the only one of today's Colt models for whom I have a name.

Google him for some interesting stories.  If half of what he claims is true, he had some remarkable encounters with a variety of celebrities and other Hollywood types.

 

Impressive

Although this Colt model borders on being overdeveloped for my taste,

I have to admit that I'm quite impressed with him.

 

Mustache Day, Part 2 - 1900s Men from the Ring

Part two of our mustache double feature consists of some 1900-ish European wrestlers, along with at least one boxer and a strong man or two.  This is the French wrestler Gambier.

 

Brummbart?

I found this hirsute gentleman whom I think was a boxer labeled "brummbart dwl" with no other info.  "Brummbart" is a German word that translates as "crosspatch" or "grouch."  That is one monumental mustache, and the rest of the fur ain't bad, either.

 

Chalzet

This is "Chalzet le Frappeur," a wrestler whose nickname translates as "Chalzet the Striker."  It looks like somebody got in a good lick on his left eye not too long before this picture was made.  As for the pose, it leaves me wondering who else might have gotten their hands into those pants.

 

Ivan Zaikin

Ivan Zaikin was a very interesting Russian who was a champion weightlifter, wrestler, circus performer, and aviator.  He apparently took flying lessons while touring France in 1910, and that led to his doing air shows in the major cities of Russia until he was scared out of his wits by a crash shortly before World War I broke out.  By some quirk of fate, he ended up living many years in the backwater of Chisenau, Moldova.  It might have been a good place to avoid Stalinism.

 

Vervet

Monsieur Vervet was a wrestler who had bedroom eyes that said,  "I know what you want."

 

Camera Men

Today we look at some camera men, and three out of five of our photos are from the same shoot.  I think there is a story line somewhere, but with only three shots, I'm not sure what it might be.  And just to confuse everyone, I'll be alternating the story shots with some strays.  In this first image, our photographer seems to be measuring something, but I can't figure out the objective.

 

Lanky with bush

Our first stray is a lanky guy with a camera . . . and a bush.

 

Another try

Our photographer has now moved the model into a different pose,

and it looks like he's about to go "hands on' with his direction.

 

Cowboy

Our second stray is wearing a pressed and shaped straw cowboy hat of a style that was very popular in the early to mid 1960s.  I know because my Dad loved them, and I had a few, too.

 

Now they're both naked

The camera man finally doffed his clothes for our closing shot.  The model is probably saying, 
"Is that really me?"  I wish I knew what, if anything, happened next.

Oh, and look where the camera's pointed.

 

Middle Aged Day, Part 1 - Nude Photos

I had a request from a viewer in Ohio for some middle aged men, so I decided to do a Friday double feature with some photos followed by some art.  This guy has a shifty look to him.

 

Rear view

Our derriere shot of the day is a middle aged nudist who appears to be 

helping set up the stage for some sort of show or pageant.

 

Trio

I think these three handsome guys were the finalists in nudist beauty pageant.

 

On the make

The nudist camp canteen was the setting for this guy

 whom I think was chatting up a female.

 

Beach

This has an FKK feel to it, but I didn't find it the usual place for that.

 

Middle Aged, Part 2 - 19th Century Academic Art

Part two of our middle aged men double feature is some Friday academic art.

We start with an 1881 drawing by Abel Lefevre.

 

Martini

We get just a bit of package peekaboo in this academic drawing by Carl Hermann Martini.

 

Mitov

Bulgarian artist Georgi Mitov made this unusual male nude drawing as part of his studies in 1895, showing much promise.  He tragically died of tuberculosis at age 25 in 1900.

 

1843

This 1843 drawing by an unknown French artist uses lighting techniques 

that closely resemble some 1950s and 6os physique photography.

 

Etna

Finishing the series with this undated work by Achille Etna.

 

Anatomy Textbooks

Today we visit academia and the world of anatomy texts.  This first guy looks like 

 frontal view of the fellow in the following picture, but I can't be completely sure.

 

Thomson's Textbook

Prof. Arthur Thomson published "A Handbook of Anatomy for Art Students" in 1915,

and this young man made a fine model.

 

Abdomen

Although he doesn't have a sixpack in the strictest sense,

this guy's abdomen seems to be the point here.

 

What's the point?

I suppose there's some sort of comparison going on here in Ph 11564, but I'm not sure 

exactly what it might be.  Maybe it's "slight versus quite" overweight.

 

1920

This guy was probably regretting haven taken the job.   Either that, or he's about to 

beat up the photographer.  Oh, and he looks like Tommy Lee Jones to me.

Having said all that, he's not a bad specimen for an anatomy text.

 

Ralph Kelly Day

It's been a while since I did a series on the work of Ralph Kelly, a photographer who was most active from 1948-1958.  We'll see a mix of well known and lesser known models, starting with one of my personal favorite Kelly models, Bob Cutlass.

 

John

Ralph Kelly used a sword and a tiger skin as props in this posing strap photo of John Parish.

 

Ray

 

Despite the hokey "sweet and sour" tattoos, Ray Cox manages to impress here.  For whatever reason, Ralph Kelly seems to have posed Ray in a number of odd ways, with this being one of the more conventional.  Leaves me wondering if he was a contortionist.  

Dick

Despite not showing all of his legs, Ralph Kelly manages

 to get Dick Dupount's lanky nature across.

 

Tabby

 

Tabby Anderson (and his tan lines) looks good in this Ralph Kelly photo with a vase.  One vintage resale website even named the type of vase.  Apparently it was known for something.

Clint

From what I've been able to observe, Ralph Kelly didn't work outside the studio much at all.  This picture of Clint Olson is a nice exception, and he looks like he's wearing one of those 1950-ish bathing suits designed and marked by fellow models Glenn Bishop and Richard Alan.

 

Herbert

You may have noticed by now that Ralph Kelly was fond of photographing 

men with broad shoulders.  This shot of Herbert Hansen is a good example.

 

Bob

I like the composition in this Kelly photo of Bob Gentry.  The Levis, sailor cap, 

and cutout Greek key panel combine well with the model's triangular upper body.

 

Joe

I found this Ralph Kelly photo of Joe Tiffenbach after I did a retrospective 

on Mr. T's career.\Otherwise, I certainly would have included it because it combines 

a classic staff pose with a fairly informal arrangement of the excellent model.

 

Alan

Alan Ghorman looks stiff (no, not that way) and uncomfortable in this Kelly photo.

I'm including it because it is a typical example of late 40s physique photography.

If you look at Kovert or Lon of NY work from that time, you'll see.