Taking a Pause

Thank you for following along with bushnstache! I'm taking a little break to focus on other things and hopefully gather some fresh material along the way. I'll be back when the time is right. Until then, be well and enjoy the archives!

bns

Carters

What's in a name? In this case, ten photographs of men who happen to share one: Carter. First name, last name, model or photographer, and a few decades in between. No particular connection among them, just a good excuse to bring these handsome fellows together. A special nod to Carter Lovisone, photographed both as a young man and later in life, proving that some men just keep getting better with age!

1. Steven in Fantasies of Hercules by David Carter. Notice Steve Reeves as Hurcules in the background.

2. David Carter (standing) with Dick Miller in David Meets the Woodsman.

3. Doug Carter with tattoos by Bob Mizer, including on his penis, leaning against a wooden wall or fence.

4. Ken Carter from Sex Toilets, a gloryhole film that included Paul Baressi.

5. Ken Carter rear view.

6. Pete Carter on a draped pedestal.

7. Doug Kappel aka Carter by Frederick Kovert in 1948.

8. Carter Lovisone by Don Whitman in the 1960s.

9. Carter Lovisone by Don Whitman.

10. Carter Lovisone by Don Whitman in the 1970s.

Please leave questions, thoughts, additions or corrections in the comments. Thank you, bns

The Dietrich/Deitrick Mystery

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Baker's Dozen

It's the 12th, so what better excuse to serve up a dozen (plus 1;)? Welcome to the bakery! Today's assortment features twelve photographs of men named Baker, including Bob Baker aka Bob Baxter, Dan Baker, Ray Baker, Don Baker, Chuck Baker, Bill Baker aka Buster, Norm Baker, and Jake Baker.

1. Bill Baker aka Buster (whose birth name was Jeffrey Wayne Cole 1958-1991) seating on a towel with a sex toy in the background by Jim French in 1967. I've also seen these images marketed as Dean Baker, so please help clear up if able.

2. Bill Baker aka Buster with back turned to the camera. Notice the flowery wallpaper in the background.

It's funny how the baker's trade lends itself to a little dirty thinking. Rolling balls, filling cream pies, and glazing buns...it's all right there. But it's also just a name, and these Bakers make my mind wander. 

3. Dan Baker posed outdoors next to a brick column by Bruce Bellas c. 1958. I like the contrast between the rounded curves and square geometric shapes in this shot.

4. Ray Baker, seated beside a column against a white studio backdrop. I'm hoping someone can help me sort out the history of this photograph. One source credits Al Urban, circa 1948, when he was photographing quite a few military men like Ray. Another credits Pat Milo, dating it to the mid-1950s.

Here's where it gets interesting. According to the second source, Urban sold or leased portions of his negative collection to other distributors while relocating from the East Coast to California. Milo reportedly acquired a large collection of Urban's negatives and published or distributed some under his own name. Collectors have suggested that this particular photograph looks more like Urban's work from the 1940s.

So, did Urban take the photograph and Milo distribute it later? Or is there another explanation? I'd love to hear from anyone who can help set the record straight.

5. Don Baker seated on a wooden box in leather jacket, hat, and boots by Chuck Renslow aka Kris Studio c. 1962. From the caption, Baker was a cyclist and one of Kris Studio's stable of Rawhiders in Leather.

6. Chuck Baker in a plank position on a bench on Pat Milo's patio in the late 1950s.

7. Norm Baker reclining on a bed in Bruce Bellas home c. 1955.

They're quite an assortment, too, from the wholesome boy next door to the fit jock, the leather man, and the rugged blue-collar stud. Different faces, builds, personalities, and attitudes, each with his own particular appeal.

8. Bob Baker aka Baxter facing forward next to a tree in Pat Milo's back yard c. 1958.

9. Bob Baker aka Baxter with back to the camera between a stump and a tree from the same shoot by Milo as above.

10. Bob Baker aka Baxter in an oblique shot on a stool also by Pat Milo.

11. Ed Miller (left) and Steve Baker (right) in sailor hats by Bob Mizer c. 1968.

12. Jake Baker in front of a brown backdrop by Jim French. I love his trimmed beard, body hair, and slightly rugged masculine look. I think today we'd classify him as an 'otter' or maybe a 'cub', but I can never keep those labels straight.

13. Jake Baker doing gardening in baseball cap and overalls pulled down in the 1982 film Hard at Work with Vito Cesari.

Anyone else craving a sticky bun right now or is it just me?

Please leave thoughts, questions, additions or corrections in the comments. Thank you, bns

Anthony Guyther

Anthony Guyther (1921–2017), better known as Vulcan Studio, Tony, and later Capital Studio, was a New York commercial artist who turned his camera toward the male physique in 1955. He named his studio after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge, associated with volcanoes and the power to transform raw materials into something beautiful. Of course, volcanoes also invite some rather masculine associations: heat, pressure, rising temperatures, and the occasional spectacular eruption. I suspect the name wasn't entirely innocent!

*All below photos are by Anthony Guyther.

1. Unknown models posing in Guyther's home studio/apartment.

2. Anthony Guyther in 2015 at age 94 in his home in Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard.

Guyther came from a background in commercial art, working for Condé Nast, Theatre Arts, and other publications. His photographs have a wonderful simplicity about them. A white wall, a doorway, a chair, or a corner of his apartment was often all he needed. His models ranged from relatively unknown young men to familiar physique favorites like Steve Wengryn and Kip Behar.

3. Frank Lombardo for Joe Weider's Adonis magazine c. 1958.

4. Jim Stryker, well-known as a muse for Walter Kundzicz also posed for Guyther.

5. Kip Behar in a posing strap taken in Guyther's pied a terre in Hollywood. Behar was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1936, and served in the Marine Corps, was a gymnast, and bodybuilder who also got parts as an extra in Hollywood movies in the 50's and 60's.

6. Steve Wengryn circa 1957–1958, was a popular physique model born in Ukraine and a former high school football player in New Jersey whose photographs were so sought after that Adonis devoted 27 pages to him in its June 1961 issue.

Guyther's work appeared regularly in physique magazines, although it also attracted the attention of postal authorities. There is a theory that one of his lesser-known models eventually stepped behind the camera himself to become a prolific physique photographer in the 1980s. More on that story in a future post!

7. Jack Weisberger on a stool. The inset reads he was " of medium height...a champion tennis player...New Jersey State Champion among other victories.

8. Artie Klassner aka Klassen (with back to the camera) and Billy Fischer recently featured in the Hands On post Oct 5.

9. Ronnie Mills contact sheet.

10. Phil Young profile shot near the window.

Guyther eventually moved on to painting and mixed-media collage, settling on Martha's Vineyard in 1984, where he continued creating art well into his nineties. He had a wonderful saying: “Rest is rust.” Not a bad philosophy for a man who spent his life making beautiful things.

11. A mixed-media collage by Anthony Guyther created in his later years in Martha's Vineyard.

Please leave thoughts, questions, corrections or additions in the comments. Thank you, bns

Two Tibors

Tibor is a common masculine name in Hungary, derived from the Latin Tiburtius, meaning someone from the ancient town of Tibur, near Rome. So perhaps it's not surprising to find two Hungarian models named Tibor working in London's physique photography scene during the late 1950s. Tibor Noszkay and Tibor Urgay are easy to confuse when researching old physique collections, but they were two different men with their own interesting stories.

*All photos below are attributed to Basil Clavering aka Royale aka Hussar.

1. Tibor Urgay (left) and Tibor Noszkay (right) mid-1950s.

Noszkay reportedly escaped Hungary at 16, leaving his family and friends behind. According to a contemporary studio biography, he eventually became a British citizen, married, raised a family, and established his own business. He was apparently quite a popular model, working with photographers and artists and appearing in everything from classical figure studies to more explicitly adult publications.

2. Tibor Noszkay flashing more than his smile.

3. Noszkay in with a pedestal and black background.

4. Noszkay in a seated pose and biographical info in caption that says he escaped the Hungarian uprising over the mountains with a few companions and a machine gun and was forced to leave his relatives and friends behind in Budapest.

5. Noszkay in an interesting shot from above on a stool with wallpaper and flooring showing through the staged backdrops in 1959.

6. Noszkay on a bed.

Urgay was born in Budapest in 1941 and fled Hungary following the 1956 Hungarian uprising. By 1958, he was living in England, lifting weights, and attracting attention as a promising physique competitor. Royale Studio promoted him as its young Hungarian sensation, comparing his proportions and classical good looks to Michelangelo's David.

7. Tibor Urgay in a posing strap outdoors.

8. Urgay from behind near a river.

9. Urgay posing on a pedestal in a posing strap with a caption below that reads, "ROYALE of London has presented the sensation of the year, TIBOR URGAY, 16-year-old Hungarian athlete.

10. Urgay with shorter hair in a storyette cleaning up with a broom and wheel barrel.

11. Urgay in a wrestling shot with Brian Lamprill.

I find their stories as interesting as their photographs. Two young men who left the same country during a turbulent period in its history, found themselves in England, and became part of London's thriving physique photography scene. Decades later, their images are still circulating, even as much of their lives remains unknown.

Please leave thoughts, questions, additions or corrections in the comments. Thank you, bns