Under a spreading chestnut tree . . .

                            Under a spreading chestnut-tree
                            The village smithy stands;
                            The smith, a mighty man is he,
                            With large and sinewy hands;
                            And the muscles of his brawny arms
                            Are strong as iron bands. 

A very kind English teacher once gave me a volume of the poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and I still have it after all these years.  (Hattie Russell, I'll never forget you and how you tried to bring letters and learning to a barren place.)  "The Village Smithy" was a favorite from that book, and it inspired todays series, a mix of Muybridge and newer material.  We start with two familiar men.

 

Undated

This photo of a delightfully hairy smith is undated, but his attire makes me think 1930s.

Who needs dumbbells when you pound hot metal all day?

 

Duo by Muybridge

A relative rare posing strap photo by Muybridge.

Ed and Andy in 1905

 

These two men are Ed (left) and Andy from a small town west of San Antonio.  

I went to school with several of Ed's great grandsons, and they were star linemen on the football team. 

Man and horse

 

Another Muybridge set of a blacksmith/farrier in action.

Mid-19th C.

Mid-19th Century.

Trainee 1937

This handsome fellow was a Civilian Conservation Corps blacksmith 

trainee in 1937. Before you say he was preparing for a disappearing trade, 

remember that men (and women) are still entering this profession today:

My enduring thanks to the genius of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,

one of the greatest American poets ever.

 

Middle Aged Nudist Men

Today's theme is the middle aged men who enjoyed the nudist lifestyle in the 1960s.

The movement was so big back then that the camps and resorts had administrative 

offices.  This guy just dug something out of the filing cabinet.  Nudist clubs were 

always handing out trophies, and there's one in the background here.

 

Early Tai Chi?

Is this an early American version of Tai Chi or modern dance?

The middle-aged male is easy on the eyes either way.

 

Contrast

 

The guy at left appears to have shaved his groin, something that would have been rare in the 1960s when this was made.  I suppose there just might not have been much there, though.

Chatting up

If I hadn't cropped this a few years ago, you'd see that this 40-something

fellow is chatting up a couple of younger females.

 

Lanky

I could have saved this guy for a lanky set, but I thought I'd use him here instead.

In the original picture series he appeared to be presenting awards at a pageant.

 

Official?

I think this gentleman may have been some sort of camp official or officer of the club.

He shows up in a lot of scenes where he is leading groups or making announcements.

 

Early 20th Century New Finds

Those of you who've been around this blog for a while know that I have a thing for male 

nudes from the 1890-1920 period.  I recently acquires some "new" ones that I will share today.  

We start with one where I'm not really sure if the model is holding a disc or a ball.

 

By Hiebl

This photo of a muscle man on a fur rug was made by J.B. Hiebl,

a Munich photographer better known for cabinet card portraits.

FWIW, he did quite a few strong men on the side.

 

Overdressed

I know these two from 1911 are way overdressed for this blog,

but the muscles and bulges are definitely top level.

 

Anthropology?

This type of photo was used in academic anthropology in the early 20th Century,

but without documentation, I can't vouch for its authenticity.

 

Thinker

Do I detect a slight influence from Rodin's The Thinker here?

 

No clue

Other than the fact that the model seems to be holding up a large rock,

I don't have a clue as to what is actually supposed to be going on here.

 

Gymnasts

These two 1920 gymnasts look good together.

 

Anatomical?

This photo was left over from my recent series on anatomical studies

only because I had no reference at all for it being such.  I think it might

well be one because of the way the muscles are shown.

 

Bamboo

A bamboo staff adds interest and focus to this 1900s image.

 

Juxtaposition

I find this unknown model to be interesting in that he appears introspective,

yet geared for action and movement at the same time.

 

Maxick

Maxick was actually Max Sick, an early 20th C. German strongman who started one of the earliest UK businesses focused on home physical development.  This particular photo is one of the more artistic in the Maxick portfolio, with the rest being more technically oriented toward workouts. 

 

Ray Routledge

Eight months ago I ran a series on Ray Routledge that produced a lot of admiring comments.  Since then, I have accumulated some more pictures and some more biographical tidbits.  Today will mostly be images, but look for a "whatever happened to" piece in a month or so.  We start with a photo by Russ Warner from the days before Ray was a champion bodybuilder.

 

Iron Man

This cover of Iron Man shows Ray Routledge at what I think may have been his 

maximum bulk.  I don't know if the garish skin shade is technical issue with early 

1960s color printing or the result of the primitive fake tanning compounds he was

 known to use.  Or could he have actually been that color?

 

Photographer unknown

This image is strikingly different from nearly all the others I have of Ray Routledge, and I have no photographer attribution for it.  It makes me think of some of Pat Milo's work, though.

 

Bill

This is Bill Pearl, a well known California gym owner and bodybuilder of some repute himself.  Bill was a mentor and coach for Ray Routledge, teaching him the value of daily workouts, a healthy diet, and frequent short, but intense exercise routines.  It apparently paid off for both of them.

 

Classic Martin

A typically grinning Ray Routledge appears in a classic Dave Martin setting here.

Too bad he kept his trunks on for this one.

 

Slippery

A well oiled Ray Routledge looks slippery in this Russ Warner studio shot.

 

Transatlantic

Ray Routledge won the Mr. America contest while stationed in Germany in the U.S. Air Force, having flown to LA for the contest.  So it's no surprise that he turned up on a European magazine cover.  The British version of Strength and Health sold for one shilling, six pence at the time.

 

Still a shadow

This Russ Warner photo of Ray has a painted on posing strap.  Whoever did that, however, did nothing to hide the shadow of the object being covered.  I wonder what the censors thought of that.

 

Forced grin?

Ray Routledge seems to be trying just a bit too hard to smile in this Dave Martin photo.

 

On the Ropes Again . . . Bondage Day

It's Bondage Day, and I'm starting with a guy who will not doubt draw a lot of attention.

And no, I don't know if that's real, or if it was photoshopped. 

 

Bo?

I found this labeled only "Bo."  I don't know if that refers to the boots he wisely

 kept on to move through the rough terrain or to a possible nickname.

 

1900 Model

I've seen this model in several photos from around 1900, and he always looks good,

even when his image seems to have been made from a broken glass plate.

 

Barely qualifies

This barely qualifies as a bondage photo, but I do like it.

 

Flogging

This looks early 20th Century, and I can't figure out if it's 

an artist's study or an early attempt at bondage porn . . . or both.

 

Marine Corps knot training

When I posted this on my old tumblr seven years ago, there were mixed opinions as to whether this was photoshopped or not.  It appears to be a Navy man teaching a big group of Marines how to tie knots.  Some of the Marines are looking closely at their knots, others at the model.  "Now watch closely men, and I'll teach you how to deal with an uncooperative prisoner . . . or bunkmate."

 

Spiral

Does anybody know what those gargantuan frayed spiral ropes are supposed to be used for?

Miss Magnolia Thunderpussy might have used them for decorating one of her estate homes.

 

Double Fluffers

This charming little scene required two fluffers,

one to adjust the ropes and one to hold the model's cigarette.

 

Memorial Day 2022

" . . . we will remember them."

The Great Depression lingered into 1940 in rural Texas, and my beloved uncle, along with most of the men shown alongside him in this picture, joined the Texas National Guard to make extra money. Within six weeks after Pearl Harbor, he was off to war as part of the now famous Texas 36th Division.  My mother recalled the whole town seeing them off, and she said, "We cheered and waved and encouraged them, but as soon as they were out of sight, nearly every man, woman, and child broke down and cried in the street.  We knew we'd never see a lot of them again."  She was right.  The 36th fought in North Africa, Italy, the invasion of Southern France, and the final push into Germany itself.  The picture above was made in Italy in the winter of 1943-44.  The men were gathered along a sunny wall to stay warm when a buddy snapped this photo.  Of the seven men in this picture, three were killed in action and one was taken prisoner.  Two of the survivors were seriously wounded, including my uncle who was wounded twice and awarded the Bronze Star.  This is his Purple Heart, along with his combat badges:

Most of those who returned, including my dear uncle, suffered from what we now recognize as PTSD.  Their sacrifices went on for decades, and today we stop to remember them.  Take another look at the faces of those men in the picture and think about what they went through.  Then be thankful.

We owe them everything.

 

Carl van Vechten Day

Carl van Vechten (1880-1964) was an American writer and photographer best known for chronicling the Harlem Renaissance and being the executor of Gertrude Stein's literary estate.  Married to women most of his life, he engaged in frequent and numerous homosexual affairs.  We start today's series with a shot of Geoffrey Holder, an actor, dancer, musician, and artist.

 

Brando

Van Vechten did a memorable photo shoot with up and coming Broadway star 

Marlon Brando on December 27, 1948.  This is about as close to a nude as we got.

 

Vincent Puriter

Although he is consistently named on a number of archival and resale websites,

I was not able to find any information on this Van Vechten model, Vincent Puriter.

 

Ramon Navarro

Carl van Vechten's life and career intersected with a number of famous (and sometimes notorious) figures in 20th Century gay life.  He took this excellent portrait of actor Ramon Navarro decades before his murder at the hands of the Paul Ferguson, a physique model whose story I've posted here.

 

Bill Earl

Dancer Bill Earl posed for Carl van Vechten in 1948.

Mr. Earl later became a well regarded ballet instructor.

 

James Earl Jones

This relatively rare color Van Vechten photo is a young James Earl Jones.