#male nude

Il Grande Fauno (The Great Faun), the singularly striking close-up portrait which graces this famous set of photographs by von Gloeden. By far the largest, clearest copy of this iconic image that I have ever seen, this gorgeous picture was donated by regular contributor John - my continued gratitude, sir, for sharing your finds!

This photograph from the end of the 19th century struck me as instantly familiar, and soon I realised why - it is in fact the rear view of a strapping young fellow we have seen facing the camera.

The quite simply perfectNino Cesarini, posing for Guglielmo Plüschow circa 1905, in one of the most exquisitely beautiful portraits of his era - indeed, a timeless beauty which still stands out as something breathtakingly lovely to this day.

His shoulders enfolded in a thick cloak, this Galdi model shows not the slightest bit of shyness in flaunting his lower half, legs parted to expose all to the sun, and the viewer’s admiring eye. Vincenzo Galdi has seated his anonymous models on these dark volcanic rocks before, here andhere.

vintagehandsomemen:

Photograph of Tom White on Newporth Beach for a figure in ‘Under the Western Sun’ c. 1917.

Some further photographs of Tom White from this seaside modelling session can be seen here.

Presented as a triptych of three images mounted on board, this glowingly gorgeous dreamlike photograph was taken by F. Holland Day in 1909. It is well worth a few seconds of your time to linger here but a moment, and view this at full size.

A lean willowy model of incredibly handsome face poses for Guglielmo Plüschow, circa 1905, simple white background allowing his beauty to stand out with no need for embellishment.

A generous reader’s kind donation to the collection, an unusual and eminently interesting tintype image, which appears to have been woefully ill-treated in the past - how fortunate that it survived at all!

A fine Victorian stereoscopic photograph with a musical theme, a handsome violinist poses entirely nude - for reasons unexplained, as this is not a profession or pastime generally performed without respectable attire! This must have been a naughty delight at the time, the double image forming a fascinating three-dimensional illusion (a forerunner of the later 3D photographs and film viewed with coloured glasses) and as with all new technological innovations, swiftly turned toward making novel forms of erotica.

At first glance the handstand may look a little proposterous, but take a moment to admire the balance and strength displayed in holding such a pose, every muscle taut and defined; though we cannot see his face his body is beautiful.

A difficulty in curating this collection into its third year is remembering all that I have featured before - just this afternoon I almost posted a photograph I had shown a long time ago (this, if you wonder what was so pretty I was enamoured all over again). I did catch my error in time, and instead have found a different yet no less lovely photograph by F. Holland Day, to fulfil the intended amount of dreamy delicate images he so perfectly supplies.

Hubert Julian Stowitts, displaying his truly fantastic physique and the superbly strong poise and lean muscular power of the professional dancer - his first career before moving on to film acting, and later, painting. Photographed in this series of dramatically posed and lit promotional pictures by Nickolas Muray in 1922 - a touch outside my usual era but when the images are so very striking as this, I can no longer resist including them!

A few months ago I posted two different copiesofone gorgeous photo by von Gloeden, depicting one of his favourite models, usually known by his nickname Il Moro. Here we see a second shot from his posing in this little secluded sun-trap, shifting position just a little his arm now curls around the olive jar which decorates the set.

jafcord:

• 1900

I’ve been unable to find out any further information on this photograph from the turn of the century - as always, if any of my readers can enlighten me I shall be glad of the kind contribution and add the details here.

[edit]
Not one but two of our fine followers have sent in their thoughts on this photograph -

“This is an anatomical demonstration, the ‘professor’ is pushing down on the model’s arm so that the model’s muscles will stand out as he resists. There was a Canadian anatomist named Lockhart who published a book of similar photos entitled Living Anatomy. I think that this photo is too old to be Lockhart’s, but it is the same genre.”

“I think this is part of the stereo collection of Dr Desbonnet -although I can’t find at this moment where in my blog I put it. Athlete pictured is probably Ernest Cadine.”

My thanks to you both.

thatanthonyguy:

Nude, 1896

by F. Holland Day

A sublime subtle nude by one of the greats, a restful scene of quiet contemplation in a gorgeous sun-dappled outdoor setting, simply perfect composition, a beautifully easy and relaxed model, and a tangible sense of peace and calm as by cool still water he gazes away into the leafy woods. Oh to feel grass beneath my toes again, I do so miss summer and soft green!

One of Guglielmo Plüschow’s more famous photographs, oft included in a more brief summary of the era as one of the outstanding examples of his work; and yet in providing so many pictures from his catalogue, I have somehow missed one of the best-known. Depicted in gorgeous close-up, picking up the fine details lost in the larger scenes - this is a nude in which we can really appreciate the body displayed : each crease in his skin, the beautiful contours and casually elegant pose, the light catching the outline of his nipple against the darker background, and I wonder are the spots merely damage to the aging print, or moles upon his skin? I like to think the latter; those imperfections which add to beauty wherever they are, not only when appearing on the face.

Adding to my small but lovely collection of pictures by Frank Eugene, unfortunately I’ve been unable to find the title or year for this photograph so if any of my ever-knowledgeable readers have the missing details, please do enlighten me.

With his model draped in such a wanton, utterly deliciously debauched way, inviting not mere aesthetic admiration but outright lust and thoughts of satisfying deepest desires, turn-of-the-century photographer Vincenzo Galdi pushes way beyond the limits of decency in his era; abandoning all pretence of innocent artistic intentions, he creates some of the most startlingly sexual images of male nudity yet seen.

vintagehandsomemen:

Nude with Trumpet, taken by Fred Holland Day (1897).

Typical of the extraordinarily lovely scenes composed by F. Holland Day, a young man of truly admirable form sits with easy grace in the raking light, every countour exaggerated by the brightness and deep shadowh, his modesty preserved with a slim ribbon spilling across one thigh. Many of Day’s photographs feature the addition of these distinctive and unusual borders of varying shape; most can never be found in their original full-page format.

vintagemaleerotica:

Male nude study.
1919

Yet another shot from the 1919 set, detailing this time the musculature of the back. A kind reader has tipped me off that the black borders denote these were produced as slides; perhaps they were used in the classroom of medical students, or others needing a superior understanding of the workings of the human body, providing a much more lifelike reference than anatomical illustrations alone.