Chains may be one of the most common props I've come across in physique photography. And they go way back—the third image here is Edwin Townsend's Nude with Chains, from around 1930–40, decades before the golden age of physique magazines.
1. Jim Whitman chained to a column. He doesn't seem to mind.
2. Warren Newman with chains around his wrists.
3. "Nude with Chains" by Edwin Townsend featuring unknown model holding a chain in one hand.
4. Larry Hale pulling on a chain.
5. Carl Peterson pulling a chain over his shoulder. I wonder how the photographer explained the need for oil on his genitals for the photo...and who applied it. It would be difficult to get a good grip on the chain if the model had oily palms and I don't imagine the photographer wanted oil anywhere near his camera.
It's easy to see the appeal. Chains are heavy, masculine and industrial—something associated with machinery, factories, prisons and physical labor. They give the model something to hold or pull against, naturally flexing the muscles, but they can just as easily become shackles, restraints or kink.
6. My source says this is Roger Conte by Pat Milo, but my other photos with this name are of a model with chest hair...although both models have large penises. Notice the random shag carpet and the double shadows.
7. John Glenn tied up with a large chain and a jail cell gobo in the background by Bob Mizer.
And there's another visual connection that's hard to miss: a chain hangs, swings and has weight much like a penis does.Draped between the legs or hanging from the body, it can echo the penis itself, sometimes quite explicitly. Whether every photographer consciously intended that association is another question, but in photographs made for men looking at men, it's difficult not to see it.
8. Joe Tiffenbach, who was both a model and photographer, posed in a side recline on a large draped box with chains tied around his wrists. I think this was taken by Bruce Bellas, but I know he also worked with Ralph Kelly.
9. Mad Dog Mains chained and collared by Bob Mizer - 1974. One source said that he was a Vietnam vet from Pittsburg, PA, who was married to a woman for several years and died in LA at the age of 44 due to an IV drug overdose. Seems like a character they could write a book or create a movie about. He definitely wasn't shy in front of the camera.
9a. Exhibit A...not shy at all.
10. Tom Parker seated on a wooden box wearing leather boots and a chain/leather wrist restraints. Like the models in photo #s 1, 6, and 8 today, he also didn't seem to mind the chains.
Please leave thoughts, questions, additions or corrections in the comments. Thank you, bns
No comments:
Post a Comment