Mike Arlen Again

Today I'm posting my second full series on the work of Mike Arlen, a British photographer who broke through some barriers in the UK's gay publication scene.  His work isn't always to everyone's taste, including my own, but I think it is definitely worth a look.  And remember, I'm not even posting his most edgy material.  If you like, you can google him and find lots of free sites for more.

 

Going large

The first thing most people notice about Mike Arlen's models is that nearly all have large members.  

This guy is actually below the average from what I've seen.  I seem to recall that 

Mr. Arlen went so far as to advertise for models with big ones.

 

Don

This haughty looking model was labled only as Don.

 

Like Old Reliable

This one reminds me of Old Reliable, akd David Hurles,

but it is definitely by Mike Arlen.

 

Magazines

Mr. Arlen had two of his own publications that I know of, 

Mike Arlen's Guys shown above, and Zipper.

 

Terry Marker

This is Terry Marker in one of Mike Arlen's more artistic photos.

 

Shower

Here we have one of my favorite Mike Arlen photos.

 

Mickey

This is Mickey from Zipper Magazine.

 

Out of place

Mr. Arlen used a lot of working class and sports themes, so I was 

surprised to find this picture of a guy in a home library.

 

Sailor

I have no idea if this fellow is a real sailor or not.

 

And last . . .

And last, but far from least, we have an Afro-British model in an interesting jacket.

 

In Just Seven Days . . .

"In just seven days, I can make you a man."  Those immortal lyrics sung by Dr. Frankenfurter in Rocky Horror paraphrased one of Charles Atlas' phenomenally successful ads promoting his Dynamic Tension method of bodybuilding.  So yes, friends, it's Charles Atlas Day on the old blog.  "Would you mail this coupon to get a body like mine?"  Damn right, I would! Sign me up.

 

Early On

This picture is probably from the early 1920s.  Mr. Atlas developed his body further from this point, 

but always naturally and in proportion.  No modern grotesque look for him!

 

Graceful

I defy you to find a more graceful handstand by a well built man.

 

Power

We go from grace to power in Mr. Atlas' version of the Discobolus.

Actually, I think we get both those properties here.

 

1930s

No effort was made to conceal that nice bulge in this photo from the 1930s.

 

Autographed

This one is autographed, "Yours for physical perfection, Charles Atlas 1932."

 

Three Views

I don't know if these three photos meant to be seen together were part 

of an exercise guide or just a display of Mr. Atlas' fine body.

 

Compare

Compare this photo and its measurements to the second picture in today's set and you will see how Charles Atlas tastefully and naturally pushed his development along.

 

Geometry

I love the geometry in this one.

 

Business was booming

Charles Atlas' advertising campaign is still taught as on of the most successful in history 

by university business programs a century after he started it.  He did so well, that he 

had to move operations from his home to a suite of offices, as shown above.

 

The closest we'll get

Our last photo is one that I posted five and a half years ago is probably as close as we 

will get to a frontal nude of Mr. Atlas.  He was known to have posed nude for several 

heroic statues, and he is shown here with an unknown sculptor.  The package 

may or may not be an accurate depiction, but it's all we have.

 

Denny Denfield Day

Denny Denfield was one of the few physique photographers of his time who did frontal nudes, but never ran into legal problems.  The main reason was that he was an amateur who didn't commercially distribute his work.  Fortunately for us, he seems to have shared his work with at least one private collector who kept a well preserved scrapbook.  Photos from that collection have been turning up on vintage resale websites over the past nine months, and most of today's pictures are from that group of "new" photos. We start with a fellow pointing as he's framed by trees.

 

Sullen

As you will see, not all of Mr. Denfield's work was stunning.  While the somewhat sullen looking model is certainly well built, this image doesn't have the level of artistic elements we might expect.

 

Bryan B.

Bryan B. sent me this Denny Denfield photo which is not part of the scrapbook collection 

I mentioned earlier.  I love the composition and the model's all over tan.  This is 

as close as we will get to a derriere shot today because this photographer 

took what may be the smallest proportion of them known.

Thanks, Bryan!

 

Cropped

The company selling this photo on line had scanned it alongside another, unrelated photo, 

so I separated them.  I suppose they were trying to save time or money.

 

Pushing

Perhaps pushing up on the rock overhang was some sort of isometric execise method.

 

Glue

The online reseller said of this one, "Very good condition, but some glue residue on the back.  Not signed."  The lighting and composition are quite good, the pose typical for the time.

 

Early on?

There's no way to know, but I'm thinking this may be from early in Mr. Denfield's career.

 

From my collection

This one is from my original collection and not the recent scrapbook flurry.

It was labeled simply "Denfield California."

 

More glue

This is another one that came with that free provenance building glue on the back.

 

Golden Oldie

Finishing up with a picture that is a golden oldie in more ways than one.

It's one of the very first Denny Denfield photos I posted on this blog.