#vintage male model

Another familiar and distinctive face this evening - as his previous picture was so deservedly well-received I thought I would include another of Asrah, the model of striking good looks who appeared in so much of Wilhelm von Gloeden’s work throughout his time in Taormina.

A strikingly handsome young man with intensely soulful dark eyes, photographed in Rome in the late 1890s, by Guglielmo Plüschow.

An eye-catching image by Guglielmo Plüschow, this slender Sicilian model with his legs tucked tight to his body, and just the faintest glimpse of his eyes seen beneath the shadow of his forward-falling dark curls.

This Plüschow photograph appears oddly cropped, neither full artistic nude nor close enough to be a portrait - if anyone should own a more complete copy and wish to share it, please do send it in!

A bonus post for this leap-year’s added day - a splendid selection of the most beautiful bums in antique photography! (Each description below links to the individual post, should you wish to single them out.)

1.A man with a sword, unknown, 1910s
2.A model from Rome, by Vincenzo Galdi, 1910s
3.Edoardo in Pompeii, by Guglielmo Plüschow, c1895
4.Vincenzo Galdi in Naples, by Guglielmo Plüschow, c1890
5.Bill Duckett, by Thomas Eakins, between 1887-1892
6. A piper, by Guglielmo Plüschow, 1890s
7.Tom White on Newporth Beach, in association with Henry Scott Tuke, 1917
8.Nino Cesarini, by Guglielmo Plüschow, c1910
9.A cyclist, by Guglielmo Plüschow, circa 1900.
10.A trio of models, by Wilhelm von Gloeden, 1890s.

A treasure from Guglielmo Plüschow, a young man of exquisite poise and singularly fine form, seated so delightfully delicately on the sumptuous rich fabrics of satin sheen and soft folds, and framed by prettily dishevelled flowers. His deep dark sun tan with lighter marks and palest chest, leads my mind to wonder what he may do for a living, wearing sometimes shorts and short sleeves, other times clearly no more than a vest. Many of the models were fishermen or farm labourers in their everyday lives, transformed for just a few moments into something sublime; these timeless beauties captured forever for our admiration.

Dated July 1900, a striking solo portrait by Guglielmo Plüschow, with a good-looking (but sadly anonymous) Sicilian man photographed in beautiful close-up detail, white shirt shrugged back off his shoulders to reveal the lovely contours of his chest.

Portraits create such a powerful sense of a moment captured and kept, a fine face made everlasting; as we look upon this strong-featured anonymous Italian, know he was photographed by Vincenzo Galdi a little over a hundred years ago.

The outstandingly handsome face of an unknown Italian model, immortalised in this portrait by Guglielmo Plüschow during the 1890s.

A gorgeous photograph by Plüschow, featuring a strikingly handsome model we have seen before, in a garland of flowers, and bearing more blossom in his hands. Flowers appear again here, as a painted motif on the wall behind him, and printed on the fabric pinned at his shoulder. Note also the tabby cat, seemingly quite comfortable lounging across this lap - was this his own friend or owner, or was he simply an amiable stray recruited from the street?

The lovely Asrah, blessed with an enchanting face full of character and gentle humour, and a timeless masculine beauty - those deep soulful eyes! Pictured here just before the turn of the last century, when he would’ve been twenty three, twenty four - one of the last photographs von Gloeden ever took of this fine young man.

A handsome Sicilian model who has featured in this collection before, this time his good looks captured in glorious close-up. Wilhelm von Gloeden, circa 1900.

Another of von Gloeden’s striking solo portraits, taken toward the end of the 19th Century in Taormina. The comely young man who poses in such a wistful way is Pietro, who has featured here before.

This handsome bearded male nude poses with great poise and an impressively muscular physique, surely providing reference for a classically styled sketch or painting. I wonder what legendary hero or religious figure he became?

Two fine young men pose nude (but for the pair of Roman sandals), in the cloister of the abandoned San Domenico monastery, 1902. We have seen the stunning model on the left before, here.

Two of von Gloeden’s amateur models from Taormina, their somewhat mottled skintone due to the unusually early ‘fake tan’ mixture of pigment and oil used to conceal the tan lines from their everyday lives - you can see how much darker their faces and necks appear, natural deepening of colour where they’ve worked outdoors in their shirts. My thanks to reader Forster for kindly pointing me towards this and a few other photographs not yet shared.

Il Moro, once again displaying his truly admirable curves before the camera with an elegant tilt of his hip; it is easy indeed to see why he became such a favourite among models, why he graces so many scenes with his beauty and charismatic presence.