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Monday, October 13, 2025

Ritter Brothers Day


I wish I had more photos of (and by) the Ritter Brothers to post, but there has never been much 
to glean from the internet.  Fred and William began selling physique photos as early as 1934, 
and they did a substantial amount of nude work.  We start today's set with
 one of those photos I sometimes call "the best of both worlds."

 

Bill Hillgardner


The Ritter Brothers photographed Bill Hillgardner, a competitive
 bodybuilder who also posed nude for Lou Melancon.

 

Unnamed


This brother was unnamed by my source, but he looks like William to me.

 

Wrestling


Here we see the brothers wrestling in a wooded area.

 

Scrapbook


This scrapbook owned by a Ritter Brothers collector was for sale on line.  The photos came 
out in 1934, and I'm not sure if the posingstraps were real or drawn on.  
They look like they may have been for ads.


 

Best of Both Worlds II


The mirror produces something of an art deco effect.

 

William


Based purely on my observation, it would seem that Fred took far more photos
 of William than vice versa.  Was Fred the better photographer?



 

Lynes


George Platt Lynes took this picture of Fred Ritter and Bobby Evans drying off.

 

Possible?


My source says this photo is a "possible Ritter Brothers," but it sure looks like them to me.
Perhaps they were uncertain as to whether it was by them or of them.



 

William Again


Closing out the set with William Ritter as photographed by his brother Fred.



 

Sunday, October 12, 2025

Anthropology Day, Part 1 - Mixed Types


Today we will look at a range of tribal types in a two part set.  We start with a photo made 
by Prince Roland Bonapart of France.  The prince was a well educated man who did valuable ethnographic work which was not considered exploitative by subsequent commentators.

 

Melville Islanders


These two men are from the Melville Islands just off the coast of Northern Australia.

 

German Chinese Concession - 1898


Germany tried to get in on the colonialism trend in the late 19th Century, and one place they ventured was a "concession" in coastal China.  That basically meant that they strongarmed their way in at gunpoint and forced the Chinese government to concede control of Tianjin to them.  The photo above is from a group showing ethnic men from various German colonies.



 

Panara

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This tall fellow is Sokriti, a Parana tribesman from the border of Brazil and Colombia.  
Exceptionally tall for the indigenous of that region, they continue exist as a distinct tribe, 
and they have regained some lands formerly lost to ranchers.  The photo is from 1973.

 

New Zealand


I don't have a date for this shot of a Maori tattoo session in New Zealand.
I can imagine someone asking, "Does this tattoo make my ass look big?"

 

Anthropology Day, Part 2 - Ainu Men


Part two of Anthropology Day focuses on men of the Ainu, an indigenous group from Japan's nothernmost island of Hokkaido.  Early Western ethnologists thought they were an isolated group of Caucasians because many of them have light skin, heavy beards, and light eyes.  Later, DNA tests showed them not to be Caucasian.   The man above is could have fooled me.

 

That beard!

This grumpy looking Ainu man has one prodigious beard!

 

Same guy?


I'm not sure, but I think these two photos may be of the same Ainu man.


 

Hunter


The Ainu modernized their approach to hunter-gathering 
in the late 19th Century by taking up firearms.

 

More light eyes


Our final Ainu man is another example of light eyes among this group.

 

Saturday, October 11, 2025

Nudist Men at the Beach


Today we visit some nudist men at the beach.
There's a lot to like about this first guy.

 

Thrower


I think he's about to throw a handful of wet sand at the camera man.



 

Surfer


This looks like a California nude surf scene.

 

That look


I have no idea what he's looking at,
but I do know what I'm looking at.

 

Nice smile


We get a nice big smile from this beachgoer.

 

Arm in Arm


These two men were cropped from a long line of mostly females.

 

Boogie board


A boogie board is a great way to enjoy a day at the beach.



 

Helios

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Big ball


No trip to the beach is complete without a big puffy ball.

 

Refreshment


Our last seaside nudist is a pleasant looking fellow
who is about to enjoy some fruit juice.