Columns

Columns are among the oldest props in physique photography, appearing as early as the nineteenth century. Borrowed from Greek and Roman architecture, they immediately place the nude male within the visual language of classical antiquity. Whether or not photographers consciously understood the symbolism, the association was unmistakable: beauty, balance, strength, and proportion.

1. Jim Stewart by Lyle Frisby (or his partner Pat Milo) - 1956.

2. Jack Reno

3. Don Scott

Unlike a wall or chair, a column invites the viewer to compare one vertical form with another. The body's posture echoes the architecture beside it, transforming the model into something almost statuesque. Standing poses dominate, with an occasional lean that softens the geometry and adds a hint of contemplation.

4.  I don't have a name for this model, but the image has a fascinating backstory. It is titled "Nu masculin à la colonne" (Male Nude at the Column) - c 1900 (Rome, Italy) by the pioneering Italian fine art photographer Vincenzo Galdi (1871–1961) who started as a model and assistant to the Wilhelm von Plüschow (cousin to photographer, Wilhelm von Gloeden. Galdi opened his own studio in Rome in 1900 and is credited. with laying the groundwork for early Italian erotic and physique photography.

5. Erman Cassamassa

6. The legendary Norman Tousley.

7. Leroy Colbert

Columns also helped reinforce the "ritual of innocence." By wrapping the male nude in the authority of classical art, photographers could present these images as studies of anatomy and beauty rather than overtly erotic photographs. Whether viewers accepted that distinction is another story. 

8. Fred Elliot by AMG.  There is something I love about the overall composition here...the angle of the pose, the geometric shadows in the background, the Moorish tile pattern against the Roman column, the vegetation and the miniature statue in the bottom right...and of course, Mr. Elliot is a beauty!

9. Henry Lenz in a posing strap.

10. Tony Wilson who I've given a solo feature on July 4 in a dynamic bulldog variation by Mizer.

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

Jean-Louis Igout

I couldn't find much about Jean-Louis Igout (1837-1897)—and that's part of why I wanted to feature him. Like many lesser-known photographers of the nineteenth century, his work survives more clearly than his story, which was cut short at the young age of 44 years old. Yet photographers like Igout helped build the visual language that later artists inherited.

*All images in this set were taken by Igout simply credited as 'Album d'Études' between 1875-1880.

1. Unknown model standing back view holding fabric.

2. Unknown model holding rock.

Working in Paris during the flourishing of the French academic tradition, Jean-Louis Igout followed closely in the footsteps of Jean-Louis Durieu (1800–1874), whose photographic studies for Eugène Delacroix helped establish the nude photograph as a legitimate tool for artists. 

3. Two unknown models leaning on each other with one foot propped up on a small chair.

4. Two unknown models in a full body weight support pose. The Met website said, "Groupings representing Cain and Abel, the Drunken Silenus, Hercules and Antaeus, the Dying Gaul, the Cnidian Aphrodite, and others are recognizable among the photographs."

5. A contact sheet of 16 shots of 2-3 models in classic poses. The Met website also described Igout's work as, "an excellent example of the type of photography produced in the nineteenth century as an aid to artists in the study of contour, modeling, and proportion, and as a vocabulary of expression, gesture, and pose sanctioned by the art of antiquity and the Old Masters."

Like the slightly younger Gaudenzio Marconi (1842–1885), Igout produced albums of nude studies for painters, sculptors, and art students, treating the human figure not as an end in itself, but as a resource for exploring anatomy, gesture, and classical composition. While I found no evidence that Igout collaborated directly with a figure like Rodin, it's easy to imagine his photographs circulating within the same artistic circles and serving many of the same purposes.

6. Another contact sheet of unknown models sometimes with rocks, boulders, and staffs.  The Met website also said, "Single prints showing sixteen small images, such as the page shown here, served as a type of stock catalogue, allowing clients to survey a broad range of possible poses and order larger prints of those which best served their needs."

7. An example of a larger print of a single pose, simply titled Studie or Étude F. 200, portraying a man crouched on one knee holding his head on a draped platform with one knee resting on a pad.

8. Another single frame of and unknown model seated on a low draped box with legs folded and arms crossed above his head.

That, to me, is what makes him interesting. Every era has its famous names and its forgotten ones. Just as the twentieth century had Bruce Bellas, Bob Mizer, and dozens of smaller photographers working alongside them, the nineteenth century had artists like Igout contributing to a much larger movement. Their names may not be as familiar, but their work helped establish the male nude as a legitimate subject for photography—and, ultimately, for the generations of photographers who followed.

9. Another contact sheet featuring unknown models in various poses with props and set pieces.

10. A landscape oriented contact sheet with unknown models in 10 different poses.

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

Neil Edwards

Neil Edwards (1939-2003) isn't as well known as Bruce Bellas or Bob Mizer, but I find his work quietly fascinating. Based in Philadelphia during the mid-1960s, he photographed ordinary men rather than sculpted muscle stars, giving his images a refreshingly unpretentious quality. 

1. Chip Barnes in a mermaid pose with a split black and white background.

2. Ronnie Williams reclining on a hammock with credits beneath.

3. Troy Ryan playing pool - 1969.

His photographs often feel more interested in the man than the performance. Whether holding a basketball, talking on the phone, lounging in a hammock, or simply standing in the studio, his models seem like everyday people first and physique models second. The work reminds me at times of Walter Kundzicz and even David Hurles—less polished perhaps, but no less sincere.

4. Peter Chamberlain reclining in bed on the phone - 1966.

5. Steve Anderson standing facing away with strong directional light.

6. Mike Richardson aka Ben Dover (nice alias there;) on a stool in a sailor hat and belt.

7. Marty Stewart in 1968 (*see Gingers August 8 post) standing with his back to the mirror. An online source said that Edwards' magazine The Edwardians featuring Marty on the cover sold out across the U.S. within four days, but I have no idea how many issues were printed.

Like many photographers of his generation, Edwards eventually ran headlong into censorship. A police raid effectively ended his photography career, a reminder that the freedom to photograph and publish the male nude has always been hard won. 

8. Ted Swanson in a reclined pose in a room with wood paneling.

9. Jimmy Estes in a reclining pose in front of a red backdrop.

10. Chuck Gavin in bed with striped sheets on all-fours.

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

Paul Outerbridge Jr.

Paul Outerbridge Jr. (1896–1958) wasn't a male physique photographer, but I think he's too important to skip. As I've explored the history behind our shared interest in vintage male nudity, I've become increasingly fascinated by the artists working alongside it.

1. Paul Outerbridge Jr. self-portrait - 1936.

2. Outerbridge in a jacket and tie.

I see clear parallels in their shared fascination with glamour, theatricality, the nude, and the constant struggle to defend those subjects against censorship. I also see some striking homoerotic themes in his work, but of course, that is my bias--and I'm proud of it.

3. Consciousness by Outerbridge - 1931.  Doubtfully the artist's intention, but this composition reminds me of a "bulldog" shot...compare to image below.

4. Close-up bulldog shot (unknown model and photographer) to compare to Outerbridge shot above.

4a. #3 and #4 "Huevos" superimposed. Anyone else see the resemblance?

5. Egg in Spotlight by Outerbridge - 1943. This high contrast single direct light source style was very common among many of the photographers I've highlighted...clear example below.

6. Male Nude by George Hoyningen-Huene - 1927 (almost 2 decades before photo above).

Best known as a pioneer of color photography, Outerbridge produced elegant still lifes, fashion photography, and erotic nudes that challenged what photography could be. He believed the nude belonged in art, not behind closed doors, and argued that censorship often created the very obscenity it claimed to prevent. 

7. Jello Mould in Dish by Outerbridge - 1923. The lighting technique here reminds me of Mizer's signature punchbowl gobo backgrounds...see below.

8. Joe Schuler in a Roman gladiator-style hat by Bob Mizer - 1959. Notice gobo lighting effect in the background.

Outerbridge moved in the same artistic circles as Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and Edward Steichen, pushing photography toward something more stylized, theatrical, and unapologetically beautiful. Those qualities are exactly what draw me to physique photography as well. Whether the subject is male or female, I see artists asking the same questions: Can the nude be both erotic and art? Where is that line? Who gets to decide?

9. Woman in Bed Under Satin Sheets by Outerbridge - 1933.  Reminiscent of George Platt-Lynes blend of technical perfection blurring lines between artistic and erotic.

I only wish Outerbridge had photographed more men. Judging by the sensuality, precision, and glamour he brought to his female nudes, I suspect they would have been remarkable.

10. Nude with Mask and Hat by Outerbridge - 1936. His work explored nudity and kink from the hetero side...compare to image below from the homo side.

11. Steve Packard in gear.

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

Blondes

Blonde men have been eroticized plenty, too. Colt models Devlin, Tab, Dakota, and Ralston Hale carry that fantasy forward, while earlier physique models Scott Manley, John Hamill, and George Rugg remind us it certainly didn't begin with modern gay porn.

1. Devlin by Jim French - Colt - who one website called a "muscular surfer stud."

2. Tab or Taber. The photo was captured in 1975 as part of a classic outdoor sunbathing series typical of Jim French's mid-1970s physique and adult erotica photography, which frequently utilized sun-drenched, rustic outdoor settings, classic denim, and relaxed athletic imagery.

Gay porn even gave us the enduring stereotype of the “blonde bottom”—a sexual fantasy with no particular relationship to what actual blonde men prefer to do in bed. Natural blonde itself ranges from nearly white through gold, honey, and darker ash tones.

3. Tab deserves another photo. Here's his backside in an indoor shot with the iconic red shirt Jim French poses many of his models in. Not going to deny I find this model gorgeous;p

4. Dakota aka Ken Sprague - Colt (Jim French) - 1973 - This classic Colt Studio photograph from around 1973 was shot by Jim French. Dakota was an influential entrepreneur who bought Gold's Gym in 1972, popularized modern bodybuilding, and promoted the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest featured in the documentary Pumping Iron.

5. Ralston Hale by Jim French - 1985 -, Hale was heavily showcased in Colt's specialized themed publications like Spurs Magazine Number 13: Presenting Blonds!.

Sometimes everything matches; other times blonde hair is set off by darker eyebrows, facial hair, or pubes. Light blue or green eyes can complete the familiar Nordic fantasy, while brown eyes create a beautiful contrast—and occasionally make me wonder whether a bleach bottle was involved.

6. Scott Manley by Walter Kundzicz aka Champion Studios - 1960s. Manley was famously recruited into the industry alongside his best friend, state wrestling champion Rod Bauer.

7. Bill Pallus by Bob Mizer aka A.M.G. Studios - 1962.

8. John Hamill by British photographer, John S. Barrington, (who often published under the pseudonym John Paignton) - 1966. Hamill was London-born model John Hamill before he transitioned into a successful acting career starring in cult British films like Trog (1970) and Tower of Evil (1972).

By the 1980s, of course, the bleach bottle made blonde available to everyone, often paired with a deep tan and conspicuous tan lines. I've mostly kept those guys out of this set. These are the blondes who at least have me convinced.

9. Larry Steiner aka Ward Heath by Douglas Juleff (Douglas of Detroit) - 1953. Juleff's career was tragically cut short by a notorious mid-century censorship raid by Detroit police and the FBI in 1957. Many of Juleff's original prints and negatives were confiscated and destroyed in this censorship "crack-down," which ruined his career and had negative impacts on many of his models.

10. George Rugg by Bob Mizer - 1959 - for Body Beautiful Magazine. Mizer was known for using high-contrast overhead key light and low camera angles to emphasize the male physique.

Please add any thoughts, questions, corrections or additions in the comments. I appreciate you tuning in and hope you are getting something out of my posts. It's been fun researching this history and I'm learning a lot from my viewers. Thank you, bns