Royale Studio 8 - "The Unapproved" (Article Superceded)

This Article Has Been Superceded by 

'The Unapproved School'

at the Royale Studio Open Archive

Today's post showcases a major Royale series called 'The Unapproved'. It comprises of at least 40 pictures, some of which are quite well known. The Unapproved tag is a play on the name of UK institutions for young offenders known as 'Approved Schools'. They were purely civilian in nature but operated in a  military manner and have long since been closed down.

In this series a naval rating and soldier experience severe discipline in the military equivalent and eventually escape over the wall only to be recaptured and suffer even worse treatment. 
(I am indebted to Sailor Al's site for the background information on this series).
 

In this series the disciplinarians are dressed in impressive military uniforms with peaked caps and horse riding apparel (Horse Guards?). These were the sort of authentic uniforms which horrified the Army establishment and got Royale into trouble. The two inmates are dressed in the studio's regulation tight fit shorts and the muscular sailor shows up particularly well in his tropical uniform.

I've seen it said that spanking at this time was not as taboo as other fetishes because it was common practice in UK schools and homes. I'm not so sure about that hypothesis, any sexual connotations were unacceptable and most spanking pictures from this era are deliberately playful (think of AMG) . Royale's images are obviously erotic and their CP punishments were presented as mercilessly real. The element of coercion, which is undisguised in this picture only makes it worse. The absence of nudity was just a sop to public standards, these images were dynamite.

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Many of the pictures in this series are shot outside in the open air and this 'escape' sequence benefits from the naturalistic treatment, it looks real but the erotic elements are not lost and the physical exertion allows the model's muscularity to show through. The sense of urgency in this image makes clear the inmates fear of the guards. Making these models perform in an ordinary, outdoor setting, while dressed in these sexy clothes serves to enhance the eroticism of it all.
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Unfortunately outside lighting can't be relied upon to give the same results as the studio and this recapture picture has a artificial, 'pose for the camera' quality. But despite these shortcomings the heroic pose of the recaptured sailor and the despair of his soldier buddy are memorable.
Notice the sailor appears to be fiddling with his fly ....a bribe?

Finally, in an underground, vaulted room the offenders face the ultimate punishment away from prying eyes. The soldier comes into his own in these pictures, with arms tied above his head his leaner build looks very vulnerable and those thighs are magnificent!

It's quite a crowded scene and the cartwheel seems a bit incongruous. You can imagine how appealing it must have seemed in concept, tying the sailor across it, but in reality it isn't big enough to produce the degree of stretching which would make it really erotic.
 
This is still a powerful image however.