Today we look at ten strong men (some of whom doubled as wrestlers) from the period of 1885 to 1930. We start with an unknown who posed for Edwin Townsend in the late 1920s.
Vintage Muscle Men
Showcasing vintage male photography, mostly nude. You must be 18 years of age or older to visit this blog! If you hold a copyright on any material shown on this blog, notify me, and it will be removed immediately.
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Monday, July 7, 2025
Flex
I have no information on this photo of an exceptionally built man.
The footwear dates it to the early 20th Century.
Unknown by Eisenmann
Charles Eisenmann was a late 19th Century photographer who worked in New York's Bowery district. He was best known for photographing circus freaks and carnival acts, but fortunately
for us, he also took the photo of an unknown strong man above in 1885.
Eugene Rapin
This photo of Eugene Rapin appeared in the magazine La Culture Physique.
The image was made by Albert Surier about 1904.
Unknown
Both the model and the photographer are unknown in this one.
I find the lighting and the pose both impressive.
Jaan Jaago
The fellow facing us is yet another great Estonial strong man and wrestler, Jaan Jaago.
The photo is said to have been made in Russia about 1913.
Charles Poire
The frilly spangled pants take nothing away from the masculinity
of Frenchman Charles Poire. The photo is from around 1895.
"Supermanity"
Australian Don Athaldo (real name Walter Joseph Lyons, 1894-1965) marketed his bodybuilding system in books and magazines in the 1920s. While his personal story of being a sickly child who turned into a he-man was rather overused in his era, in Mr. Athaldo's case it was mostly true. I love the title line in the photo caption above: Don Athaldo -- Supermanity Personified.
Louis Cyr, Canadian Column Carrier
The last strong man of the set, Canadian Louis Cyr, has an expression that says,
"Yup. That's what I do. I carry columns around."
Sunday, July 6, 2025
Bryan B's Lon of New York Photos
Today will be the second (with more to come) series of pictures by Classic era physique photographers sent to me by Bryan B. This time we look at the work of Alonzo Hanagan, aka Lon of New York. Nearly all of today's models are unknown, starting with this one purported to be the subject of the very first physique photo Lon ever took. I did some research, and the man in the photo is believed to be a summer camp counselor fresh out of the shower photographed by a teenage Lon with a Kodak box camera. There's some history for you, folks.
Thank you Bryan for a phenomenal contribution.
Different
I included this photo of an unknown model because it is different
from much of Lon's work in terms of pose and composition.
Chair
The chair in this photo of an unknown model shows up in several of Lon's photos.
One very much like it was used by Edwin Townsend to photograph Tony Sansone.
I think the geometry here is exquisite.
Art Ullrich
Art Ullrich was one of the most prolifically photographed physique models of the classic era, having posed for Denny Denfield, Bruce of LA, and Your Model Service in addition to Lon.
Leave it to Bryan to find a shot of him I'd never seen before.
Heavy fellow
No one seems to know who this hefty model is. Lon didn't photograph
many guys who were not in top shape, so this is a double mystery.
Group
I'm really miffed with Google Images search because their bots refused to look up this photo due to "content guidelines." They've been doing this more and more lately, and it feels like a form of censorship. That's Lon Hanagan at left, but I don't know who the other men were. My best guess is that this was made at one of the Coney Island bath houses that had a nude sunbathing area. Lon and his models were known to hang out there and I even have a few photos made there.
Hairy
This posing strap photo appears on half a dozen websites, but none of them seems to have
a name for the hairy model. The pompadour is a bit much, but I can't fault anthing else.
Donovan
Instead of the usual Classical column, we get drapes and sconces
in this photo of a model listed only as "Donovan."
Thanks again to Bryan B for providing today's photos!
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Beach Day
Today we go to the beach with photos ranging from slick professional to very amateur.
I place this one at the pro end of the spectrum.
Keith Vaughan
British artist Keith Vaughan took this photo in 1938 while
on an excursion to Pagham Beach with a group of young men.
Hmmmm . . .
At first glance, I thought the piece of driftwood sticking out of the sand to the left of this guy's knee
was a severed human foot. I've got to stop watching so many horror movies.
Not Germans
Imagine my surprise when my research revealed that these were not Germans,
but Boston men enjoying the beach near the L Street Bath House.
Tom Wayne
I just did a search and learned that this photo for which I
previously had no information is Tom Wayne by Bruce of LA.
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