“Open the shirt… drop the jeans a touch,” Ron said.
Chuck adjusted, leaning against the woodpile.
“Look right—flex the abs.”
Chuck did, tightening as the sun caught him.
Ron peered through the lens. “Yeah… flex that too.”
The cowboy is one of the most enduring figures in vintage male physique photography. Sometimes it’s little more than a hat and boots against a studio backdrop. Other times the setting feels more convincing—a rough barn, a stretch of open land, the suggestion of dust and sun. And occasionally the fantasy drifts somewhere stranger entirely: a cowboy in an office or riding a bicycle.
Whether costume or lived identity, the image carries a universal charge. The rugged myth of the American West—strength, independence, a man alone with the land—has long stirred the imagination.
Image 2 - Mickey Squires (leaning against barn)
Image 3 - Jim Glasper by George Quaintance (with saddle and blanket)
Image 4 - Seth Cooper (in barn)
Image 5 - Unknown Models (with lamb skins)
Image 6 - Mark Edwards (with whip)
Image 7 - Joe Markham (from Round Up 1984, thank you Pat for the correction!)
Image 8 - Hank Parrish (on the fence)
Image 9 - Bob Hille (with holsters and pistols)
Image 10 - Paul Strand (on the deck)
Thoughts?
Please pass along any info you have on this collection and let me know if you have any cowboy stories to share.
Having grown up on a ranch in Texas, I have an obsessive interest in authenticity when it comes to cowboy photos. These range from the sublime to the ridiculous, with numbers 2, 4, and 10 being sublime and number 9 being riduculous. Overall, quite good.
ReplyDeleteI love your word choice, sublime, and agree fully. I currently live in Texas and know what you mean about authentic cowboys…it’s no joke down here. I agree about #9 but also find #10 a touch ridiculous, rugged cowboy leaning against a deck railing—haha. But, the camera sure likes him
DeletePhotos 1 & 4 are my favorites. Between the bush on #1 and the beer can on #4, I’m salivating, marica.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you approve, marica;)
ReplyDeleteImage #7 is Joe Markham not Will Seagers. I have the film and magazine that this still is from. Round Up from 1984.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pat! Making correction now.
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