Real Men Do Wear Pouches

Brian Lamprill, in pouch, by Vic White

 

 

 I recently published a post at the mitchmen Royale Studio Gallery about the hunky Royale model Brian Lamprill. It featured photographs of him taken by a different, British photographer, Vic White. 

 

Vic White was a respected British body-builder in the 50s, so his choice of models and photography of them was based on a true appreciation of the artistic and physical qualities of a well-developed, male physique. 

 

What surprised me about the Lamprill portfolio though, was the sheer sexiness that emanated from it, not just from the model's face, bulk and oily curves, but from the frankly startling shaping of his posing pouch. (which may have got a bit oily, accidentally). It's very revealing that both the photographer and model were clearly comfortable with this.

 

These pictures were published in the British, beefcake magazine 'Man Alive' in 1960. Openly published I nearly said, but it was hard to get hold of copies, except by mail order subscription. Nevertheless, it seems remarkable in those oppressed times. It sparked an (admittedly prurient!) interest in me about this photographer, which revived when I came across the picture below in my files.

 

 

Ray Andrews by Vic White

I freely admit that this model is my 'type', not pretty but he has an innate 'maleness'. As with the image of Lamprill above, that quality emerges more strongly if you subtract the slightly camp, bodybuilder/ballet legs....

 

Ray Andrews by Vic White

 Ray's pouch is more discreetly arranged than Brian's, but you still get the picture. This much derided garment is capable of as much erotic impact as the most slick and skimpy of modern thongs. Its improvisatory appearance is itself part of the appeal, particularly on a man who looks far from being the sort who would be comfortable showing himself and being photographed in such unusual and revealing kit. 

 

After all, this is an era when men's underwear actually fitted around the waist, above the hips and hiding the navel. 

 

Prehistoric Men's Underwear ad

(a time when tents and men's briefs were carefully segregated

and you had to take pills for blue finger)

 

60's underpants also entirely covered the backside, whereas the pouch is completely backless. In these circumstances, Ray's confident looking pose is commendable. This man inspired my title for this post - Real Men Do Wear Pouches. 

 

 

Derek Manthorpe by Vic White

 This photo has similar qualities, a man with pleasant, but unremarkable facial features. You might imagine him working in an office. But he's unexpectedly showing an incredibly bulky torso and an incongruous pouch that seems weighed down by its contents. His expression seems to convey manly bewilderment at being asked to wear such a thing and having to hold his hands behind his back, (as if they were tied together) to leave the embarrassing, brazen display (and imaginary access to it by any viewer) entirely unrestricted. 

 

White has arranged Derek's pouch to be narrower than Ray's (pushing together the top hem, which slides freely on the support string like a simple curtain). His pouch sides drop vertically, creating the impression of weightiness (and, for the wearer, increasing the sense of brevity and openness at the sides). There's possibly (probably) been some sanitising of the pouch surface, but the w-shaped shadow/stain at its base is reassuringly shapely, crying out to be cradled, like billiard balls in a bag. White himself has cropped off the lower half of the picture but stopped just short of the pouch and that draws attention to it.

 

 

Ken Restall by Vic White

Ken Restall was another mature-looking man who looked an improbable choice for a model, but you can't argue with that physique! 

 

White has employed the same crotch-level, cropping device here and created a strange shadow underneath, which gives an impression of exceptional bulk in the pouch without showing any sensitive detail. It's set very low down on Ken's shaved abdomen, but the strings at the side suggest it should be even lower. It looks like unfinished adjustments.

 

Ken's finely chiselled torso is well worthy of the unrestricted display afforded by the hands above the head pose, but rather than opting for conventional bicep flexing arm he's chosen a hands-clasping position that gives the faint impression of him being tied.

 

 

Mike Tozer by Vic White

 Mike Tozer was something of a catch for White, well muscled with a photogenic personality. White snapped him in a traditional muscle pose here, but again with the pouch slung very low on a shaved abdomen. It looks like his pubic hair has been painted out just above the pouch. The photo is cropped slightly lower down the legs than those above, which brings out his impressively-sized thighs but seems to miniaturise the pouch.  

 

The pouch itself is at the opposite extreme to those just above - loose fitting, apparently, with an indentation that suggests thick material, which certainly hasn't been wetted. Perhaps Mike brought his own. Some of that linen crispness is attributable to the extreme AI adjustments I've resorted to, in order to create a brighter, sharper image, but the pouch looks just the same in the noisy original.

 

 It's not very flattering to a man, appearing to have very little to show seems worse than showing everything. However, spots like this, dark in the middle with a bright halo, often appear on old photographs, so I've experimented with a version treating this as noise.

 

Mike Tozer by Vic White (pouch modified)

This modified version is more like what you'd expect and credits Mike with a manly presence.  

 

Ray Golding by Vic White

White's manipulations with pouches seem to have reached a crescendo with this image. It's not obviously faked. How did he persuade the model to get into this? More to the point, I suppose, how did he persuade the conservative magazine, Man's World, to publish this in February 1959, well before the dawn of the permissive 60s? 

 

Ray Golding has the pop-star looks of that era and a physique that looks trim rather than well-muscled. Not White's usual material.

 

 

Ray Golding by Vic White

 

I don't know if Ray Golding is related to Roy, it's from late 1958 (Man Alive, issue 2) so it's conceivably the same person, but this image of him is worth including in its own right. He's got more oil on his body that he's got on his hair but its has a magical effect on his youthful physique. 

 

He gives the impression of a frustrated, young man who has just been told he can't borrow Dad's car. Or punished by having to wear a skimpy pouch, in my twisted imagination!  

 

His right arm is semi-flexed, like a bodybuilder pose, but it's placed on the far side so as not to interfere with the line of his body that flows down to the pouch nestling between his thighs. The pouch itself is clean and natural-looking with intriguing, if faint, contours and a teasing opening at the side.

 

 

Doug Preddy by Vic White

Another tribute to youth from around the same time (Aug 58). Doug strikes a 'thinker' pose, similar to Ray's, but more philosophical and classical. Doug's muscle credentials demonstrate a good deal of time spent in the gym, with the photo capturing splendid arm details. 

 

His raised leg ensures a clear pouch outline with bulkiness and ambiguous shaping that seems more suggestive than genuine. Sorry Doug! The indrawn ab just above compensates, seemingly inviting exploration and delving.

More on Vic White to come

New Additions to the Royale blog

Royale Studio - The Arrest 2 

The 24 picture series, 'The Arrest' is one of the most complete surviving sets by Royale - although there are some intriguing discontinuities that hint at a much bigger epic! 

A story of bullying, it's notable for its abundant imagery of men in tight shorts, with a good deal of wrestling action and spanking too is represented.

All this and a mystery, 'lost' series. 

 

Royale Studio - Scout Recruit

If you appreciate spanking imagery, there's an abundance of it in The Scout Recruit and more tight shorts. If you think Scouting is a pastime for boys you'll be surprised at the men in this story, another long one of 24 images.

 

Brian Lamprill by Vic White 04

There's some stunning imagery of Brian Lamprill filling a white pouch in images by Vic White, that supplement his career with Royale. Links to more sets at Brian Lamprill's Profile Page.

 

A full list of available Royale and Hussar sets can be seen in the sidebar of the Royale-Hussar blog. Plus news of the latest additions.

 

Vintage Bath Nite imagery

The final image in Etienne's 'Bath Nite' was probably inspired by AMG's images of Wally Shillicut bathing himself in a tiny bathtub.

Wally Schillicut in the Tub 1 (AMG)

This image tantalises, screening what might be happening under the water. In reality, he's probably wearing a pouch.

 

Wally Schillicut in the Tub 2 (AMG)

Now the pouch is visible, full and beautifully shaped for aficionados. The clingy, near-transparency indicates that it's wet. Wally's nether regions suspended over the water are erotic in their own right. But, spare a moment to appreciate the tension in the model's torso.

 

Wally Schillicut in the Tub 3 (AMG)

Sitting on a box to wash his feet, Wally's pouch exhibits more tension, topped off with a descending dribble that challenges the restrictions of the era. 

 

Wally Schillicut in the Tub 4 (AMG)

AMG roped in animals on more than one occasion to supplement their model's charms. In this image, the cuteness of the ducks seems to rub off on Wally. The strategic positioning is more amusing than erotic, since Wally's pouch strings are clearly visible.

 

Wally Schillicut in the Tub 5 (AMG)

 A single duck offers more possibilities for visual punning when placed between the legs, but Wally seems to have a bit of a handful with this one. Just as well he's got his pouch on here, but it's not entirely hiding his 'embarrassment'. Better watch out for that pecker! At least he didn't have to contend with a goat or a donkey or a monkey like some other AMG models did.

~ 

 Wally's AMG shoot didn't only inspire Etienne....

 

William MacLane - Bath House

 

William MacLane transplanted the imagery to a Japanese bath house, which in the post-WW2 era of the 50s might well have been patronised by USN sailors, as suggested here. Such intercultural encounters were a popular theme at the time in films and books, usually with depressing plots. MacLane is making a conscious attempt to be artistic and literary here. Relevant, we might say, today. 

 

However, the pose, which is about a man washing himself in primitive conditions, doesn't really work in this context.  Even with another (sexy) sailor watching him closely and touching his leg with his back, the washer women drain the eroticism out of the picture far more effectively than any number of ducks. However, that hint about gay relationships, possibly one-way in this case, is an interesting feature, also found in William MacLane's other work.

 

~ 

 

This surge of interest in bath-tub washing, at a time when most households were consigning the practice to history and turning to showers, may in its turn have been inspired by James MacArthur's erotic splash in the 1958 movie, 'The Light In The Forest' (below).

 

MacArthur plays a white boy who has been brought up by Native Americans. Captured by settlers, he is introduced to the pleasures of civilisation. The images are tantalisingly homoerotic, but I don't think the conversation here is about back scrubbing! 

 

 

Or chest shaving either, here!

 

MacArthur's character suffers the customary range of humiliations meted out to captives...

 

He's tied up and abducted...

 

 

 Forced to wade across rivers in his best buckskins, under the watchful (and I like to think, lecherous) eye of his captor. 

Who could blame him for it?

 

James' preparation for playing the role seems to have been equally closely policed by minders. Poor James! Surprisingly, an obvious career as a sex bomb did not materialise for him.

 

~

 

I can't leave the subject of bath tubs without reference to one of the best known examples of the genre in the gay canon. Once again it's AMG who are responsible.

 

 

The GI standing in the bath tub seems to saying, 'do I have to?' As if this is a punishment. We might take his companion to be another soldier, but he's actually armed with a civilian shotgun rather than a military weapon, so he might really be an enraged father making sure his daughter isn't going to be left in the lurch by the trigger-happy GI she's been messing around with. Either way, it's a great example of a man being put in his place.

Army Folio 1

As always, here at mitchmen, my Christmas posts are dedicated to anyone who is alone or who feels alone at this time of year. I hope you enjoy this offering and all the other goodies from years gone by posted here. 

This year a selection of pictures from Mitchell's Army Boys Folio, which may be a regular feature next year following the success of the Cowboy Folio.

Mitchell - GI in the Slammer

 Like Tom in 'A Christmas Criminal', Buzz is spending Christmas in confinement. But he didn't have to spend it alone, the Sergeant called in to make sure he didn't feel neglected or cold. 

 An image from Mitchell not previously published.

 

Mitchell - Night Manoeuvres

 

'A' Company captured a hostage from 'B' Company during Night Training Exercises. 

They stripped and tied him to prevent his escape.

Then decided to wait for morning, before negotiating his return.

The Night Manoeuvres continued until dawn.

 

 An image from Mitchell not previously published.

Art by David Angelo - 2

 More David Angelo in Part 1 

 

David Angelo - The Swimmers

Underwater swimming was another theme beloved of 60s artists who wanted to add a touch of class to their erotic imagery. There was great potential for playing with graceful body shapes, and it was a legitimate excuse for depicting nude men together, reliving youthful adventures. The intersection of knee and groin here is a great example of 'hidden eroticism' (see labels at foot of post) but you will observe that an attempt to sneak in something naughtier was foiled by a keen, censor's eye.

 

David Angelo - The Swimmers

 Angelo contented himself with modestly interlocking limbs here, using streams of air bubbles to obscure naughty bits. The result is not entirely what the censor would have wished. With the inverted swimmer, the bubbles unexpectedly convey a sense of sexual excitement. Down below, his hand seems to have swept across his companion's groin leaving a stream behind that is full of teasing ambiguities. Angelo's treatment of the swimmer's hair in both these images is a well observed, lifelike detail, but not entirely without erotic significance either.

 

~ 

 

Like the cowboy fad, the interest in underwater action had its roots in TV and film. War films had introduced many to the role of the 'frogmen' who sabotaged the enemies warships during WW2. Lionel 'Buster' Crabbe was something of a celebrity for his wartime exploits and mysterious disappearance. His handsome namesake, an Olympic swimmer turned actor, muddied the waters for gay men by starring as Tarzan and Flash Gordon. TV added a different dimension with craggy Lloyd Bridges having underwater adventures in 'Sea Hunt' while Hans and Lotte Haas were a leading part of an exploration genre which introduced viewers to the underwater wonders of the sea.

 

David Angelo -Divers

 The underwater adventure and exploration themes often converged in dramas that depicted interactions with the inhabitants of the sea. Octopus and squid were the usual dangers, but this is a very curious mix which seems to depict a dolphin or fish as a threat and yet there seems to be intensely erotic interaction going on between the three of them. Is the diver protecting his friend from the phallic enormity pressing down on him, or is he jealous of the frottage that seems to be going on? 

 

Both humans seem to be finding it exciting. Their incongruous posing pouches, an unnecessary choice in this scenario, are bulging and seem to signal that the artist saw it as having a gay, erotic dimension. One that is helped immensely by the pleasing composition he has developed.

 

David Angelo -Diver Rescued

In this astonishing picture, Angelo goes further than erotic innuendo. The rescuer's fingers are clearly touching his buddy's pouch, and his own, straining with desire, is nestling underneath an upraised leg. No gay man could mistake the meaning of this arrangement of limbs. Nor could they fail to connect with the rescue scenario, with the ultimate gay-fantasy outcome in prospect. 

 

Angelo - Door Knob 

 

Angelo's other contribution to gay culture of the 60s was a series of delightful cartoons. He wasn't alone in exploring the possibilities of accidental disrobing, but this character has an innocent, boyish charm that is memorable.   

 

Angelo - Pitch Fork

Rather less innocence is in evidence here, with the yokel's pitchfork having performed a more efficient job than the doorknob in the previous example. For the avoidance of doubt, he hitches his thumb into his waistband, pulling it down and touching himself. The victim meanwhile makes a show of covering up but doesn't take evasive action. Just checking which of those prongs is coming his way, I suppose. You know who else has 3 prongs.

 

Angelo - Valentine

A fanciful design for a Valentines card. The artist depicts Valentine/Cupid as a winged messenger, carelessly reclining across the top of his missive, like a Royale Studio model. His cargo seems to have 'accidentally' barged into the back of a nice young man, but he doesn't seem to mind at all. 

In some respects this is an image of separation, but the twin, trailing ribbons of a bow flutter between their legs, forging a light-hearted but distinctly erotic connection between them. Cupid draws it between his legs, seductively. His target lets the ribbon go, patting his pouch in anticipation and seemingly miming his size.

Their garments are frivolously decorated with flowers or bubbles (who knows?). However, the familiar ribbing of the jockstrap alerts us to their less romantic qualities, which seem destined to react together shortly. 

 

Angelo - Statue

Angelo's artiness got the better of him in this image, I fear, with a weird distortion of the horizontal and upright planes for the two figures to stand on. A slightly odd choice of pose for the chap in the foreground, too. Behold the conquering hero, I suppose, but the eye line isn't right and it looks rather like a weaponless archer at first sight. 

 

The interest lies in the way he has drawn his pouch, minimised and bulging. A captive beast. It's the same kink as the modern chastity cage. A far cry from modern depictions of this area, which usually demand much more fabric in any covering, in order to show an identifiable ramrod beneath it. 

More Angelo in Part 1 

For similar posts, click on the labels below 

Art by David Angelo 1

 

 The vintage gay art of the sixties that was printed in beefcake magazines of the time often seems quite amateurish, however this example by David Angelo has a pleasing blend of technical accuracy and sensuality. 

 

Inevitably, the model is clad in a posing pouch, a garment that often attracts derision in our own time, but the artist's treatment gives us a sense of size inside and entrapment, a straining to escape that shows us how the men of the time really saw it. Something truly erotic. 

More on vintage pouches 

 Angelo's drawing is based on a photograph of course, the model's physique and face looks rather like the great Rick Wayne.

 

David Angelo - Gunslinger

 

Cowboys were big in popular culture in the sixties, replete with handsome heroes. Angelo has given this one another idealised treatment, with prominent pecs and nipples straining at his tight shirt. The gun belt fulfils a similar restraining role below the waist. This last detail was not pure invention....

 

Robert Fuller as Jess Harper in 'Laramie'

  

Robert Fuller sneaking up behind John Smith in 'Laramie' 

 

David Angelo - Wrestlers

For this image of two wrestlers, Angelo has cleverly used the same stark lighting to cover up a bold erotic statement. 

 

One of the fighters is caught in a position where he's off-balance and vulnerable. His flimsy pouch inevitably draws the eye, but it's also attracted his opponent's hand. It's groping underneath, in the shadow of his groin. This hold has nothing to do with wrestling! 

In addition, the fighter in the foreground is totally naked, and the dark shadow that hides his far leg accentuates the impression that he's presenting his backside to us. 

It's not simply the sexuality that is so daring, it's the homosexuality. In 1960, just putting men together in a picture was suspect.

 

The lattice pattern in the corner is not part of Angelo's picture, it's part of an adjacent image in a magazine spread. 

 

 

David Angelo - Pop Star's Finale

In 1963 when this picture was published, pop music was starting to shed its veneer of respectability with Beatlemania converting music concerts into manic, adoration events. With its focus on young love, however, it was (and still is) relentlessly heterosexual. Not many pop stars dressed in transparent shirts and matador pants like this (not yet). 

 

Nevertheless, many gay artists tried to incorporate pop into their images. Tom of Finland's 'Ringo' openly sought to subvert the idea of straight entertainers and I suspect Angelo is doing that here too, by showing us his rear view, tensed above opened legs, raised up on tip toes. The singer seems to be ignoring his female fans, who are noisily lusting after his front profile. He's casting aside, too, the female shape of his guitar*. "Come and get me", he seems to be saying. To us, not them.

 

Ultimately these images fail to capture the magical attraction of pop stars, because away from the mic', he's just another bloke. I think I have seen art images of a star being seduced on stage, but I can't cite it at present. Sex in front of a horde of screaming women is a bit niche for me!

 

*The singer's own shape has interesting undulations at waist level, with an odd fit into his pants at the left. It's almost as if Angelo couldn't quite decide how slim, how masculine to make him look.

 

 

Angelo - Slave Auction 

Ever since Victorian times, the Slave Auction has been a 'go to' for artists seeking to portray gender power play and sexploitation in a semirespectable way. It fitted readily into the adoption of classical settings by gay artists seeking to avoid censure in the 50s and 60s. 

 

Angelo's Romanesque take has a very unusual night setting, giving him an opportunity to play with light effects*. The physiques of the two spectacularly muscular men who are manacled and up for sale, are greatly flattered by it - to the benefit of their value too, I suppose.  

 

A key ingredient in this scenario is the depiction of the slaves' emotions. One is proudly displaying himself, seemingly indifferent to the fate which might await him. His companion is, if anything, more muscular, but seems to be cast as a younger servant. He reaches forward, holding up the cloth which screens their groins (for the time being). 

 

The bidders we can see in the audience seem to have their own favourites, suggesting these two will not remain united after the sale.

 

*Angelo seems to have achieved this night effect using chalk or crayon on black paper. It gives something of an etched effect. Some of the detailing is spectacular - the creases of the toga for example. Unfortunately, his characterisation of the second slave, using voluminous hair and rounded cherub cheeks is very much of it's time and doesn't work for us, even if we believed in such improbable muscularity to go with it. With a man's head and face, the whole image would work much better.

 

~

 

More Angelo in Part 2 

 

 
 

 

 

FOOTNOTE 

The Many Faces of James Seely

Last year I posted a series of articles showcasing the vintage model, James Seely (or Selig)

His spontaneous facial expressions in the pictures I found fascinated me as much as his sex appeal.

So much so that I couldn't resist playing with the imagery.

 

James Seely and Dave Hodge (AMG)

 

This is his look of 'I can't believe he just said that'

Dave's is the look of 'why do I have to break them all in?'

James Seely and Dave Hodge (AMG)

The AI-cartooniser brings out an extra dimension to both men's physiques
that's not so obvious in the original photograph - two very shapely bottoms 

with James's being definitely the bubbliest of the two.

 

 

James Seely and Dave Hodge (AMG)

Actually James doesn't look very worried, just a bit defensive. 

James Seely and Dave Hodge (AMG)

 

James is a big boy and seems a lot of fun, so you can't blame Dave for trying!

His expression here seems rather like 'I don't want to think about that sort of stuff'.

Meanwhile, back at the motorbike......

 

 

James Seely and Dave Hodge (AMG)

 Such innocence!

 

James Seely and Dave Hodge (AMG) - Naked Bikers

The look of domestic recriminations between two, very sore losers.

James Seely and John Manning

The contrasting looks of innocence and sexual experience

Innocence is an irresistible challenge

and as we know, experience usually triumphs over it.

 

 

James Seely and John Manning (AMG)

The look of appraisal - and of being appraised and feeling exposed. 

 

 

James Seely and John Manning (AMG)

 Torn between getting paid and getting out of here.

 

James Seely and John Manning (AMG)

Like a Boy Scout, James believes in being prepared.
 

James Seely and John Manning - Wrestling (AMG)

This is what is known as putting on a brave face.

 

 

James Seely and John Manning - Wrestling (AMG)

 

The James Seely series :

The Abandoned Slave

Vintage Bondage - James Seely 

(with onward links) 

More Seely captions in 'Fun in the shower'

~

   This No 33 in 'The Look' series at mitchmen blog,

click on the label at the foot of this post to view the others

or use the mitchmen search function (top right in sidebar)