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Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Tony Sansone Day


Tony Sansone (1905-1987) took a Charles Atlas course at age 18 and was later declared by Mr. Atlas to be "the most beautiful man alive."  He started his professional life as a dancer, but moved into acting when he injured his knee.  He also appeared in a silent movie or two, published books of naked photos of himself, and posed for sculptors.  By the late1930s he was operating a gym that taught his natural style of physical development with Steve Reeves as one of his pupils.  Mr. Sansone modeled throughout these career changes and has left us a large body of photos.  We start with a simple classic.

 

5 comments:

  1. This has terrific lighting. His muscles are subtly defined, and he does not appear to have been oiled down.

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    1. The lighting is indeed expert. Sansone's natural look shames modern bodybuilders.

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    2. Yes, that lighting is very good. I'm thinking mostly from above and a diffuse source? A totally natural look. Even in powerful athletic poses.

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  2. Looking at this photo of Mr. Sansone I think that it would be hard to disagree with Charles Atlas description of him. One of the very best models that I've seen and it seems as though he was a real trailblazer. I wondered when he was publishing the books of naked photos of himself given the restrictions in place throughout much of his life. Maybe later in his life or was he somehow able to avoid hassle and prosecution?

    Peter

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    1. Mr. Sansone never seems to have had any legal problems. He was, however, not as active during the peak period of police/postal authority harassment from about 1948-1967. Also, his work was so artistic that even those oppressors could see it.

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