Vintage Muscle Men

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Les Demi Dieux

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Nestor Derkach

I think this photo of Nestor Derkach was made the anteroom to a gym locker room in New York. Danny Fitzgerald was a small man who chatted up men in gyms by asking them for workout tips.

This often led to modeling sessions and who knows what else.

Richard Bennett

This is Richard Bennett, Danny Fitzgerald's lover and most frequently photographed model.

I got tired of looking at him years ago (not my type), but I include him here because he's an

important part of the artist's life and because I know many of you will enjoy seeing him.

Danny

The model here is known only as Danny, and that pipe looks like a gun.

Danny was likely one of the young men from the streets of Brooklyn

whom Danny Fitzgerald photographed clothed.

Johnny Dibiase

Here we have auto mechanic Johnnie Dibiase.

Unknown

Several bloggers and at least one archivist have tried to identify this model without success.

Tommy 1964

The lighting and the peekaboo view make this 1964 picture

of a model known only as Tommy special, imho.

Brooklyn Street Type II

This is another of those young men Danny Fitzgerald photographed on the streets of Brooklyn.

Orest Daszo

Danny Fitzgerald posed Orest Daszo in front of a tombstone to make

him look like an angel, something I'm pretty sure he was not.

Billly Wright

Finishing the set with Billy Wright in the woods.

Monday, January 26, 2026

Douglas of Detroit, Part 1 - Nudes

We have a two part series today featuring the work of Doug Juleff, aka Douglas of Detroit.

Part one is a selection of nudes, starting with Mike Dubel and a bamboo screen.

Dick Buckholz

Doug Juleff didn't take all that many derriere photos, but when he did,

they were very good. This one is Dick Buckholz.

Vic Seipke and Jim Park

These two men with fan palm fronds are Vic Seipke and Jim Park

You'll see Mr. Seipke in trunks later today.

Al Walch

That's probably the same bamboo screen that Mike Dubel posed in front of.

This time the model was Al Walch.

Stan Stanczyk

Pulling a chain between his hands made a good pose for Stan Stanczyk.

Douglas of Detroit - Intermission

Lest we forget the price Doug Juleff paid for his art, here's this item from the March 18, 1955 edition of the Detroit Free Press. I have no information on how the psychiatric exam went, but he ended up doing six months in jail. That was about average for such "offenses" in those days, but the worst part was the destruction of much of his work and the ending of his career. Oh, and just to add insult to injury, his own father cooperated with the police during the raid. Don't think for a minute that there aren't people working right now to take us back to those dark days.

Douglas of Detroit, Part 2 - Men in Trunks

Part two of our Douglas of Detroit set features men in trunks, an aspect of Doug Juleff's work that doesn't get a lot of attention. We begin with Sam Adams in a geometric pose.