The helmet doesn't fit the tough guy biker image, but Mr. Murdock
looks good . . . and it's better than having helmet hair.
Saturday, August 5, 2023
Friday, August 4, 2023
Minor White Day
Minor White (1908-1976) was a closeted gay photographer who secretly took male nudes in the 1940s and 50s. Better known for his work with natural and architectural themes, his photos appear in any number of fine museums and collections. I was not able to find any documented self portraits of Mr. White, but the above item from 1951 is quite good and listed as "photographer unknown" in the Princeton University collection. For those of you who enjoy fine art photography that doesn't involve male nudity, do a Google Images search and treat yourself to a feast. It is astounding.
Tom
Tom Murphy appeared in several of Minor White's male nude photos showing his face, but the bulk of his work has it cropped out of the picture. As you will see, that seems to have been a trend in White's work, as well as that of others in the 1940s such as George Platt Lynes. This is from 1947.
Young Man and the Moon
Although it's not easy to see the moon, this in "Young Man and the Moon" from 1948.
William
William Smith posed for Minor White at Stinson Beach in 1953 for a series of very good photos. Although I found a few on my own, most of those in my collection, including this one, were
generously provided by Larry K. See his blog at: https://unashamedmale.blogspot.com/
Thanks, as always, Larry!
Nude Foot
Mr. White called this one "Nude Foot" when he had to know that most viewers were more interested in another part of the anatomy. The photo is from 1947, and it's in the collection of the Princeton University Art Museum. The photographer must have liked this one, because he made a few reprints from the original negative in 1975, one of which is in Houston's Museum of Fine Arts.
Joseph
Minor White was best known for his nature based abstracted themes and secondarily for his male nudes. He also did some excellent portrait work with men, as with Joseph Presto from 1947.
Gino
1940 was a busy year for Minor White when it came to male nudes. This nice shot of Gino Cippola made in Portland, Oregon is among almost a dozen in my collection from that year.
Dick
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This tasteful semi-nude of Dick Finley was shot on September 17, 1948 in San Francisco.
Mr. White and subsequent curators have done a great job at dating his work.
Unknown
This 1940 image of an unknown model is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art where it it has a note attached saying, "The body's contours and volumes breathe warmth throughout the image, so that it pulsates with life without attenuating into pure erotica or kitsch."
Thursday, August 3, 2023
Not a woodie . . .
It's not a woodie, but this classic truck is just the sort for surfers. Note the rack.
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
James E. Davis
James E. Davis (1901-1974) is best known as a Princeton professor who put that university's art program on the map. A noted experimental film producer, he was the only such to have
been allowed by Frank Lloyd Wright to make movies of his work. As if that weren't enough,
he also was a decent abstract artist and secretly took nude photos of his models on the side.
Today we will look at some of those photos, but I'll post some of his male nude art
in the future. Our first shot is of Raul Rachou from 1971.
Swimmer
James Davis did some non-nude photos that have merit,
including this one of a swimmer in a rocky creek.
Rob Israel
I see a George Platt Lynes influence in this James Davis
photo of Rob Israel from the mid-1960s.
Total outlier
I found this on a resale website attributed to James E. Davis, but it does not look like his style at all. Looks more like 1950s physique work, but I'm posting it just for the hell of it. The model was identified as somebody named Waskey, by the way.
John Prott
John Prott, a dancer, posed for James E. Davis in 1972,
and it is the only color work by Davis I have encountered.
Unknown
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I would guess that this undated photo of an unknown model was made early in James E. Davis efforts at photography. It's not great technically, but the composition and angle are pretty good.
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
Vintage Muscle Men's Top Ten
I periodically get asked what the most viewed posts have been, and I recently got such an inquiry
from Mike G. of Corning, New York. So today's series will be a countdown to number one.
Coming in at number 10 is a locker room shot of Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers.
Mr. Greenberg served two hitches in the U.S. Army during World War II with a break
in between to play a season with the Tigers. This photo is believed to have been made
during that interval, hence the servicemen, one of whom appears to be a reporter.
No. 9 - Nudist Beauty Pageant
The nudists had to get into this countdown somehow, and it was one
of their all male beauty pageants that came in at number nine.
No. 7 - Ed Miller by AMG
Our number seven entry was originally posted in a "name that model' series,
and we quickly learned that he was Ed Miller by AMG.
No. 6 - Playgirl's Dan Delaney
Playgirl makes a respectable showing at No. 6 with this poolside shot of Dan Delaney.
It's also the only derriere shot in the entire Top Ten.
No. 5 - The Navy
These three World War I Navy men came in at number five,
surprisingly, the only purely military photo in the top ten.
No. 4 - Julian Duarte, originally posted by Men From Back Then
Way back when, I replied to a viewer query about which other blogs were my personal favorites.
Of course, Men From Back Then easily made the list, and I used this borrowed photo of Julian Duarte by Bruce of LA to plug my friend James' fine blog: http://menfrombackthen.blogspot.com/ I'm tempted to say that Big Dude may have made multiple visits to this one, helping it make No. 4.
No. 3 - Bruno . . . Again!
All I can say is that Bruno on one hell of a popular guy, making two appearances in my top ten.
This time he is shown early in his career with the Rip Colt marque.
No. 2 - Bob's Naked Guys is Back - Drew Burton and Paul Strand
Apparently a whole lot of you were eager to know when Bob's Naked Guys came back on line, because my post announcing it came in at number two. Of course, the fact that I used this borrowed picture of Drew Burton and Paul Strand by Bruce of LA might have had something to do with it.
Thanks, Bob, and we're all glad that you're still blogging.
And finally, Number One! - Bill Derrick
This was a real surprise, and not because it's Bill Derrick. The surprise is that somehow this
grainy picture by Dave Martin won out over some truly spectacular studio shots.
And there you have it, the ten most frequently viewed posts on this blog.
Monday, July 31, 2023
Military Underwear Day
It's military men in their underwear day. We start, appropriately enough,
with some guys at an induction center waitng to be weighed and measured.
All boxers
These three are all wearing boxers in front of one of those ubiquitous WWII tents.
Their hair looks more like Korea era, though, so the tent could be a holdover.
Best part forward
You've heard of putting your best foot forward, right? Well this chunky guy is putting
his best other feature forward and wearing a "W" tank top/ Washington fan?
Color
Our only color shot of the day looks like Vietnam era,
and one of the GIs is looking at a Bugs Bunny comic book.
Tobruk 1941
Are those tight boxers or some other sort of underwear that the well built water bearer
is wearing? The scene is Tobruk in 1941 from the Australian War Museum.
Friendly
These two seem more than a little bit friendly. They
even both have their army boots under the same bed.
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