Western Photography Guild Day

It's been a disgracefully long time since I did a full series on the work of Don Whitman at Western Photography Guild.  To make up for it, I'm posting fifteen of his photos today.  We start with Glen Hudson beside a Colorado lake that appears again later in todays set.

 

Dean Lahr

This is Dean Larh.  I wonder if he was related to Bert.

 

Two Unknowns

I really wish I knew who these two models are.

 

Ronnie Heath

The lighting and the pose work well together in the WPG photo of Ronnie Heath.

 

Hunter Metcalf

 

Martin Moss

Mark Moss looks thoughtful in his chair and jeans.

 

Marc Arno

Marc Arno always looks impressive, and this is no exception.

 

Jerry Abbott

The backdrop is specatular in this photo of Jerry Abbott.

 

Paul Labriola

Don Whitman did a large number of domestic scene photos, even going as far 

as marketing "at home" sets.  Here we have Paul Labriola on a staircase.

 

Unknown

This unknown model is in a classic Don Whitman pose 

with mountains, rocks, forest, and the Western sky.

 

Phil Lambert

This head shot is of Phil Lambert.

 

Steve Anthony

Don Whitman didn't take many pictures in the shower,

but I really like this one of Steve Anthony.

 

Harold Arducci

I've seen this handsome model's name spelled both Adducci and Arducci.

Either way, he is mighty fine looking.

 

Sherwood Cartee

Natural blond Sherwood Cartee posed for Don Whitman against an interesting rock.

 

Eddie Williams

Our last WPG photo is Eddie Williams in the reeds by a shallow lake.

 

Halloween 2024

It's Halloween, and we start the show with a guy who almost didn't have a thing to wear.

 

AMG

I stole this one from James over at Men From Back Then .  It's from the AMG movie The Witch and the Hoods featuring Jim Higgins, Jackie Baker, Larry Beier, and Andy Chavez.  Thanks James!

 

Musketeers

These Musketeers attended a Castro Street Halloween event in the late 1970s.

 

Horror or Bondage?

This looks like a scene from either a bad bondage move or a bad horror movie.

 

T-shirt

The only thing vintage about this is the shirt design,

but once I saw that model . . . 

 

Pageant

This bit of cultural appropriation is from a nudist pageant of some sort,

probably not a Halloween party.

 

AMG II

This looks like a scene from an AMG movie, but I don't know which one.

Perhaps someone will inform us shortly.

 

Little Devil

The Devil made him do it.

 

Men in Uniform

This is another 1970s San Francisco Halloween celebration.

A Boy Scout and a sailor have fallen in lust.

 

Halloween 2019

Our last photo is a repeat from five Halloweens ago.

 

Professor Desbonnet Day

Professor Edmond Desbonnet (1867-1953) was a French academic and photographer who popularized physical culture in late 19th and early 20th C. France.  He helped found one of the worlds first fitness magazines, La Culture Physique, and pioneered the concept of gym workouts for health.  His methods were so popular that he founded the first known chain of membership gyms.  Today we will look at some of his photos, as well as some that others did on his behalf.  

As you can see above, the Professor practiced what he preached.

 

Built

This Desbonnet student's abs are remarkable.

 

Edmond Desbonnet did not do all the photography for his published exercise guides, and this one was done by Walery.  As  you'll see later in today's set, there are other possible and probable examples.

 

Book Revival

David Chapman is someone all of us who admire vintage physical culture photos should be thankful for.  He has not only curated and preserved some major physique photographers' work, but he has also written, co-written, and translate books on the subject.  Above we see the the cover of his translated reissue of Prof. Desbonnet's The Kings of Strength.

 

Sandow Ad

Eugen Sandow appeared in a remarkable ad for Prof. Desbonnet's gym.

 

Rear

The well formed glutes are the main attraction here.

 

Celebrity Wrestlers

This photo is from Desbonnet's book The Kings of Wrestling.  While I'm not certain that he had his own stable of wrestlers, we can assume that he helped with the training of this group.

 

Contrast

Professor Desbonnet gives us two very contrasting models here.

 

Outlier

This photo appeared in the important magazine La Culture Physique as an example 

of Prof. Desbonnet's results.  I'm not sure if G. Rasso was the model or the photographer.  

FWIW, the style doesn't match my Desbonnet collection very well.

 

Back view

Although the model's derriere is quite nice,

his back muscles first drew my attention.

 

Everyman

Although he's built well enough, I get an "everyman" vibe from this one.

 

Overhang

Something tells me that someone was holding the model's legs for this photo.

Having said that, I still find it impressive.