Royale Studio Models - Peter George 3, Nudes

 You can read this series of mitchmen posts about Peter George, 
the 1960's Royale Studio model, from the start by going to Part 1

Peter George (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) Catalogue Image

Peter's 3rd solo set for Royale Studio was 4-PUN.

It was a nude set and appeared in the catalogue in 1959.

This is a slightly better version of the catalogue image. Photographed naked against a black background, Peter's trademark, 'little boy lost' look is amplified by the self-conscious, modestly crossed hands. His beefy physique shows up well here but it's no surprise after the glimpses of his bulk we saw in the preceding post about the 2-PUN set.

Manual magazine posted two images from the set in their December 1959 issue but decided it was better to suggest that Peter was in fact clothed. I suppose a suspicious mind might see sexual innuendo in the close proximity of hands and uncovered groin but it's a telling indication of the sensitive nature of gay publishing in this era. 

Interestingly, 'Man Alive' and 'Model Man' had both already published the uncensored version of one of these pictures earlier in the same year, in Spring 1959. Perhaps this boldness had led to seizures of the magazine by the Police in which case Manual's caution may have been well advised. Their reference to his military connections perhaps less so.

Royale's catalogue description tells us there were 20 pictures in this set, but I have unearthed many more than 20 nude studies of Peter on the internet so there must have been at least one later set with nude poses. However, without thumbnail sheets, they are almost impossible to separate. 

   There is a clue to dating these pictures in the publication dates of magazines in which they first appeared. I can trace many back to 1959 this way and they all have solid black backgrounds. Those with lighter coloured back grounds (also included below) appeared a year or two later, but it's not a fool proof technique.   

I have grouped them together here and made a selection of the best images for this post. My complete collection can be seen in Peter George folder in the mitchmen Royale Studio Open Archive (link pending). 

Peter's beefiness also comes to the fore in this splendid image, one of his best, I think. 

Peter's rear is a delight in the storyettes, but this first example we've seen of his backside, full on and completely unclothed. Classically posed with a sword like an ancient warrior he looks formidable, but very, very naked. His oiled skin and wasp waist are deliciously sexy.

In this contrasting view of his physique, a more down-to-earth, youthful-looking Peter wistfully eyes a miniature copy of an ancient statue and copies the pose, as though wishing he were equally well endowed. Such modesty. 

Royale's description of '20 nudes' employed the customary 50's cloak of artistic modelling. But whilst the catalogue image and the warrior (above) with their noble poses, do have a touch of Classical Greek statuary about them, this picture is clearly situated in the present. The statue device was quite common in the beefcake photography of the era representing the double nostalgia for an idyllic era when male beauty was valued and (it was believed) that men had been free to love openly whoever they pleased.

This picture differs from most of its companions in containing rather daring, erotic references which are cleverly disguised by the shadows. That's a walking stick Peter is holding and its curved handle, held between forefinger and thumb (and easily mistaken for a thumb) is a striking phallic substitute in its own right. Its message is reinforced by Peter's rigid forefinger resting on the stock in a way that is inexplicably but unmistakeably suggestive of stroking. Amazingly, this picture was published by Man Alive in June 1959, perhaps no-one noticed!

The use of classical columns has the same intent as the statue, transporting the model to a time when restraints were fewer and distancing the naked body from the disapproval of 1950's UK society. However, a naked bottom seated on, and moulded by, a flat surface is not without sexual interest and the punning, double meaning of 'sitting on a column' would have been quite obvious to viewers of an era when normal gay language was necessarily laden with innuendo.

It's worth remembering that these pictures taken in 1959, two years after the Wolfendon report had recommended decriminalising homosexual acts in the UK, giving hope to the gay population, but legislation to enact it was still 8 years in the future. The ending of magazine censorship and indecency laws that enabled Police to continue persecuting gay men was even further off. In 1959, the Police could easily have found a reason to have broken into this photo shoot and exposed everyone involved. 

This image is less controversial, and it also seems to have a classical inspiration

 in the famed, Greek discus thrower sculpture. 

(Or you might see it as a naked man fleeing from a pursuer on a dark night.)

Peter George (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) 06

Other pictures in the set are less formal. The boy in the man is disturbingly apparent in this shy, relaxed pose. Boy-love was an unfortunate adjunct of the gay idyl of Ancient Greece and gay mags began to flirt with it more and more openly in the 60's. The imagery doesn't float my boat, but according to the Royale blurb Peter was perfectly legal by modern standards at 21.

Peter George (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) 05

This 'baby on the mat' pose exploits the same interest using a distinctly provocative camera angle, adding a smile and getting in close. The result is a massive magnification of the eroticism inherent in nudity into what seems like a seductive invitation to bed the model. 

Peter George (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) 07

This stiff, formal pose is not devoid of erotic allure but is more manly. It has a controlled, submissive quality expressed by the kneeling position with tightly tucked legs. Something akin to a patient awaiting the Doctor's inspection - with a degree of curiosity and apprehension, methinks. 

The overt presentation of the rear view seems less inviting here thanks to the obstruction presented by the model's feet. His wrinkled soles are invitation enough for worshippers of such things, but they also form an opening that works like a reflection of the parted cheeks just above and allows just enough access for naughtiness.... 

Peter George (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) 08

I feel I'm being reprimanded for my lewd imaginings here. It's virtually the same pose but with that expectant tension released. It transforms the sitter back into the independent, proud man we saw in the opening images. 

His clenched fists seem to clamp down on those erotic innuendos almost as if he is saying, "Is that it? I've had enough". Taking back control of the session from the photographer.

He's still a most desirable young man in his nakedness, but evidently not a pushover.

~

The next group of images are those I have characterised as having lighter backgrounds and believe to have originated a year or two later than the 'black' set. It is possible that they are related to the 'bamboo' (mostly) pouch-clad set which I appended to the 2-PUN pouch set in the previous post in this mitchmen series.

Peter George (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) 02

This pose is the traditional bodybuilder's, beefcake pose. 

Peter's muscularity is less dramatic in this group,

 but his ass looks cuter if anything - ample compensation.

I'm not sure what's happened to his hair! 

(This image appeared in 'Man Alive' No 18 around the end of 1961, it's the earliest fix I have currently got for these nudes that are set against a lighter coloured background - with squiggly hair which also seems a defining characteristic. You can see his hair is very orderly and elaborately styled in the previous 'dark' picture.)

Peter George (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) 01

Another discus-thrower sort of pose and appropriately enough Peter is standing on a disc - even if he is not holding one. I suppose the plinth reassures suspicious types that it's art and he's not bending down for any other reason. It also accentuates the sense of him being put on display for others to inspect.

Peter George as The Thinker (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) 03

A take on 'The Thinker' completes these classically influenced poses. 

It's lighter in tone than the rather intense (nay miserable) original Thinker by Rodin. 

More like a teenager worrying about his homework (or missing time with his pals).

This image from Grecian Guild Studio Quarterly 22 (1967).

Other pictures in this sets strike an even more playful tone.

Peter George (in Royale Studio set 4-PUN) 04

The contrast between those classically inspired images and this 'baby on the mat' pose (also classic in its own way I suppose) could not be more striking. This image is a nicely crafted composition, but it seeks an emotional response rather than an academic appreciation of the male physique with the model making eye contact with the viewer. 

However, this image is not openly inviting like the 'black' variant we saw earlier. Instead, Peter's expression suggests we have stumbled in on a private moment and caught him by surprise. Inevitably it brings out all the boyishness in him, but this is clearly a young man not an immature youth.

The bold shadowing in this particular picture is also seen in some of the other pictures in this 'light' group (not shown here but included in the archive). It is similar to that seen in the 'bamboo pole' set in Part 2, leading me to think they may be connected.

Image from Manorama No 14 (Nov 1963)

Despite its informal sitting pose, this image is firmly focussed on Peter's physique as witness the tensed, indrawn stomach muscles. However, the oily finish shows an attractive, mellow musculature under the studio lights. His arm and thigh muscles are nicely highlighted and the grooves defining his abs are positively sexy, but his upright posture and steely gaze offers no invitation to hanky panky. That vanilla neutrality seems to characterise all of this group.

The image is from Jr. magazine No 41 (1971) which gives you a sense of Peter's lasting popularity.

To conclude, a final image from the 'dark' set showing Peter seated and looking a little sad and lonely. The 'lonely boy' was a classic characterisation of the era and still has resonance today. The speckles on the picture are defects in the magazine print but fortuitously create the sense of a cloudless starry night under which a young man sits wistfully. As ever, his cherubic face belies a physique of some substance, here highlighting his chunky thighs. 

The positioning of his clenched right fist might be considered as an indication that his nocturnal musings have a taken earthy direction.

This image from Fizeek No 4 (Dec 1959)

~

 To date I have found 25 nude images of Peter, not including the one in the 'bamboo pole' set in Part 2. It's too many to include here and some are of inferior quality. but the Peter George folder in the mitchmen Open Archive of Royale Studio photographs contains them all.

Link Pending

The survey of this model's work continues in Part 4 with some more genuine fetish to add to the bondage images already seen in Part 2. I'm beginning to think Peter was a bit of a daredevil!