Vintage Muscle Men

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Helmut Rottgen Day

I accidentally discovered the work of German photographer Helmut Rottgen a few weeks ago while researching some one else. These are the only male nudes by him I could find, and that may be because he moved on to cinematography not long after shooting today's photos from 1980 to 1982. We start with a model in a ruined Berlin industrial site.

Holding Hands

These two holding hands look quite Germanic to me.

Opposites attract

They say opposites attract.

Moustaches

Mustaches figure prominently here.

Comfortable

I think these two look comfortable together.

Hairy Guy

This hairy fellow is my favorite of the day.

Long hair

These two went for the long haired look.

Pleased

These two look pleased with themselves.

Enigmatic

I find the facial expressions here to be enigmatic.

Peekaboo

I call this one "Peekaboo Around the Boyfriend."

Ruins again

I'm finishing the Helmut Rottgen series with what I believe is the same model we startee with.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

19th Century Day, Part 1 - Known Photographers

We're going way back to the 19th Century today, and it will be a two part set with known photographers first and then some unknowns. The first is from the early 1850s and is by Durieu, a pioneering photographer who worked with the great artist Delacroix.

Marconi

Gaudenzio Marconi is one of my favorite photographers, and I was very pleased

to come across this and four other of his works recently that are new to me.

Igout

This one is by Louis Igout.

Galdi

My source says this is by Vincenzo Galdi.

Sandow by Falk

Here we have the immortal Eugen Sandow as photographed by Benjamin Falk.

Von Gloeden

The last of our known photographers' works is supposed

to be one of Von Gloeden's early pieces.

19th Century Day, Part 2 - Unknown Photographers

The French National Library has only the year, 1855, for the first of six

photos in Part Two by unknown photographers.

African

I find this African model to be quite impressive.

Disclosure: I removed severe yellowing from the image.

Rarity

We have a rarity here in that we can actually see the hair on the model's back. In most 19th C. photos, body hair was blanched out by the harsh flash lighting generally uses. This one appears to have been taken outdoors, and that may account for the visibility.