Boating Day

It's boating day, and we start with two guys on a beach in Panama from 1945.

 

Frampton Hair

This young man stole Peter Frampton's hairdo.

 

Oliver

Someone thought Oliver should have been ashamed.

 

Playgirl Model

I'm counting on one of you Playgirl experts to tell me this model's name.

 

Aussies

I think this is an Australian unit of some sort.

 

Patching

I think this man is patching a leaky boat.

 

Nude Navigator

We seem to have a nude navigator on this boat.

 

Glass boat?

Is this guy sprawled in a glass boat?

 

Coming ashore

 I can imagine the guy on the shore saying, "Oh, you've no need to bother

with the pants.  We'll just be taking them off again in a minute or two."

Laid back

Our final nakeed boater is laid back.

 

Early 20th Century

Today's theme is early 20th Century beefcake, and we start with a pose that we've all seen many times.  What sets this version apart is the fact that it appeared in Die Schoenheit, a German magazine that was in the vanguard of the Naturist movement, setting the stage for later FKK publications.

 

Topsy Turvy

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Matysek

This is a page from an early 20th Century fitness and body development text.  The model and publisher was Anton Matysek, a performing strong man who won the Strongest Man in America contest in 1922.  Mr. Matysek's books still sell today and his methods remain in use.

 

Backdrop

The backdrop nicely accentuates the model in this one.

 

Early shower

These six men are enjoying a shower bath, something relative new in the early 20th Century.

 

Good lighting

I really like the lighting in this flex shot.

 

Wrestling or dancing?

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Muscles

Despite the grainy image, we get a good impression of the model's muscles.

 

In the style of Richer

This is another from a group of photos that remind me of the work of Paul Richer.

 

Odd pose

The pose here is odd, but the photo is still pretty good.

 

Stolen from MFBT

I snagged this item from James at Men From Back Then almost a year ago and only recently learned that it was from the studio of Professor Desbonnet and may be a fellow named Rosmond.

 

Fig leaf

The fig leaf is unfortunate, but the model is quite nice to look at.

 

Russ Warner Day

I've been trying to get a full series of each of my favorite physique photographers on here at least quarterly.  While I've been partially successful, I just realized that I had neglected Russ Warner for a very long time.  The correction for that starts with this shot of Ed Siemens.

 

Clarence Ross

Having been a moderately successful competive bodybuilder himself, Russ Warner had no problem getting some of the best in that business to pose for him.  He would sometimes take off his own clothes and work nude in an effort to get his models to feel more comfortable posing naked.  This was only partially successful with Clarence Ross shown above.  Although we have one or two derriere shots of him, there are no frontals that I know of.  Still, he looks great.

 

Neel Bate

Although he was ultimately better known as an edgy gay themed artist,

Neel Bate did a stint as a physique model, as shown here.

 

John Smith

We get a fine displaty of muscles in this Russ Warner photo of John Smith.  Whether that was his actual name or a pseudonym, somebody lacked imagination in the selection of it.

 

Johnnie and Dick

Johnnie Holden and Dick Fenley look impressive stacked on a California beach.

 

Norm Tousley

Norman Tousley is one of those physique models who never seemed to make a bad picture,

and this Classically posed photo by Russ Warner is no exception.

 

Jack Thomas

This youthful looking photo of Jack Thomas looks like it was made early in his career.

 

Jack Lalanne

Russ Warner famously refused to hand over or destroy his frontal nudes of Jack Lalanne when the fitness guru got his first TV contract in the 1950s.  (To see some of those, click on the Jack Lalanne label in the column of topics ar right.)  This magazine cover shot in the Hollywood Hills reminds me that I have enough such photos by Mr. Warner to do a complete series.

 

Al Galios

Whether it's light oiling or sweat, Al Galios really shines in this outdoor shot.

 

Johnnie Holden

Closing out the Russ Warner set with Johnnie Holden, solo this time.

And there's a double shadow there for someone we know.