Color from Ten of the Best

With the exception of Western Photography Guild, most of the Classic Era physique 

photographers were very sparing in their use of color.  Today we will look at ten, including 

one "dark horse" photographer and this picture of an impressive mature male by AMG.

 

Bruce of Los Angeles

Ed Johnson stood on Bruce Bellas' iconic grass floor mat for this fine derriere shot.

 

Jean Ferrero

I wish I had a name for this handsome cover man photographed by Jean Ferrero.

 

Kris

Don Dunne shows off his muscles in this photo by Chuck Renslow of Kris Studio.

I acquired it from JamesIV at Men From Back Then, a fine blog that has been 

dormant for over a year now.  If you're out there, James, we miss you.

 

Lon of New York

Although Lon of New York did produce a few color nudes, I think I've already posted them.

So I decided to go with this attractive shot of Luis Santiago instead of a repeat.

 

Mark One Studio

Gerald Desfosses shows us a fine asset in this photo by todays dark horse studio, 

Mark One of Canada.  The man behind the camera was Alan Stone of Montreal.

 

Dave Martin

To see some Dave Martin photos of Cliff Harris without his clothes,

paste his name into the search box at bottom right.  I think

this was meant to be sent home to his mother.

 

Pat Milo

Tom Nevins posed for Pat Milo in front of a patch of prickly pear cactus.

 

Russ Warner

After perusing his work for hours, I've decided that Russ Warner rarely, 

if ever, used color film for his frontal nudes.  We'll have 

to make do with this magazine cover of Reg Park.

 

Western Photography Guild

Closing the series with this gorgeous shot of Alan Green

by Don Whitman of Western Photography Guild.

 

Arthur Tress Day

We're overdue for more of Arthur Tress' work,

so let's start with Self Portait as a Homeless Man.

 

Ride 'em Cowboy

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Tracks

Most of Mr. Tress' railroad themed photos were made in urban areas, but not this one.

 

Man on Stair Rail

The light, the cracked concrete, and the model's body combine beautifully here.

 

Two Men

Arthur Tress took Two Men in 1977, and they both look familiar.

Perhaps they did some other modeling jobs around that time.

 

The Ramble

Beginning in 1969, Arthur Tress took a number of photos in and around The Ramble,

a notorious gay cruising area in New York's Central Park.  I suppose the guy

on the ground thinks he's alluring, but it doesn't work for me.

 

Follow the Rules

I've posted several photos previously from the Arthur Tress series that includes this one called 

Follow the Rules.  They are all interesting and left me wanting more.  This, alas, may be the last.

 

Industrial

There was a period in Arthur Tress' career when he made a lot of photos in industrial 

settings, often derelect.  I could not find a title for this one from 1975.

 

Secret Conversation

Mr. Tress called this one Secret Conversation.

It may be my favorite of the day.

 

Dish Liquid

Our last Arthur Tress photo shows a man making unconventional use 

of dish washing liquid.  I'd love to know which brand they used.

 

Athletic Shower Day

It's athletic shower day, and we start with an unnamed 1970s German football team.

 

1970s

This is supposed to be from a posh 1970s gym.

Or it could be a gay bath house, but what do I know?

 

Goofing around

I get a "goofing around at the YMCA" vibe from this one,

but the Y probably would have kept the shower cleaner.

 

Basingstoke

This cheeky team is a Basingstoke, England rugby outfit.  I passed through Basingstoke once, 

and I felt like I had been transported to a modern suburb of Kansas City.

 

Freiberg 1980

Eugen Nosko took this photo of a Freiberg, Germany sports team in the shower in 1980.

Both the color and black and white versions are circulating online.

 

Drink?

Is this guy holding a drinking glass in the shower?

 

1950s?

This is one of several photos of doubtful provenance in today's set.  The website where I found it said this guy is a Mid-20th Century athlete, but they didn't have many shower stalls back then.

 

Steamy

If these guys are indeed sports figures as my source says,

they must have been shot putters or football linemen.

 

Happy

The only info I have on this happy group is that they are athletes and the photo is from 1947.

 

1944 St. Louis Browns

This is the shower room of the 1944 St. Louis Browns.  Can you imagine a modern group of spoiled sport celebrity prima donnas setting foot in such a shabby facility.  Oh, one more thing.  If the men look old for pro sports, remember that it was wartime, and the younger guys were all in the service.