Art Bob 1

Art Bob was a popular gay artist in the 60s with an unmistakeable, playful style. He depicted young men enjoying life and getting into 'interesting' situations. I've never reviewed his work here before but have previously posted sample images, also more recently at the mitchmen account at BSkySocial.  

 

Art Bob - A Little Pull From A Buddy

 

Many of Art-Bob's images will be well known to my readers, so I'm starting this article with one of his less familiar ones. It shows a guy helping his dormitory buddy into a tight-fitting suit -  a diving or flying suit perhaps or, given the imagery on the walls, some sort of spacesuit. 

 

It's not exactly clear what he's doing to help, except that he's using a thread. The suit area below his foot shows cross-stitching and yet the suit seems to have a zip. Sewing it all up seems decidedly kinky. 

 

Even more surprising (for the 50s) is that his foot is placed firmly on his buddies' groin. You don't have to be familiar with foot fetish to perceive the erotic nature of this gesture, the recipient is clearly 'getting it', as it were! For the avoidance of doubt, rockets thrust skywards behind them 

 

The would-be astronaut is a typical example of the artist's usual fare of young and slightly gauche subjects, but his buddy is something else. Stubbled chin plus a hairy and muscular physique, complemented by a rare sight of Y-Front style, white underwear. Hunks like this pop up refreshingly in other pictures by Art Bob. 

 

The title is an example of Art Bob's humorous innuendo. It seems charmingly coy to us but was necessarily so in 1959 when this was published. Most of the images presented here were drawn in the 50s, an era of repression on both sides of the Atlantic. 

 

 

Art Bob - A Stitch In Time

This picture also has a sewing theme. Another hunky buddy helps to fix his (nervous) chum's jeans. The pithy title suggests it's a repair, but these look well past being fixed 'in time'. In the 50s, fashionable young men started to have their jeans altered to fit more tightly round the bum. The most professional technique involved unpicking the centre seam of the pants, like this, cutting away a 'dart', and then sewing it back up. 

 

Needless to say, few lads were accomplished sewers, but if they were lucky their mums or girlfriends would do it for them. Otherwise, they had to call on a 'best mate', whose expertise might be just as lacking as their own. Doing the alteration with the jeans still in place is a typically male solution to the problem of getting it as tight as possible. But it's not without risk, as the stick-on plaster shows.

 

Quite why the helpful friend is nearly naked for this task is a mystery, but who's complaining? His muscular body is clearly shaved below waist level. The 50s furnishings in the background are a delightful detail, not least because the artist's style exactly complements it. No modern home could be without a cheese plant back then. 

 

 

Ronald Wright - A Stitch In Time?

Art-Bob's 'stitch' was very well-received and was reproduced in a number of contemporary beefcake magazines. English artist Ronald Wright was so impressed with the idea that he made his own version, copying the original composition pretty much exactly, but dressing the characters differently and relocating it (bizarrely) to a sports locker room. It's not a patch on the original, but the deliberate reversal of the characterisations is quite interesting.

 

 

Art Bob - Just The Ticket

Buddy collaboration features in this image too. Two lads in a beach buggy are trying to talk a cop out of giving them a ticket. While the cop is distracted, another member of the party reaches out of the boot (US, trunk) to let down his tyres. You don't notice it at first because of the absurd perspective and distance. It's quite an artistic hand, feminine potentially. The passenger feigns innocence on both counts.

 

The characterisation of the cop is decidedly odd. Wearing a bow tie, tight shirt and sun shades that look as though they belong to a fashion model, he's not exactly the epitome of authority.  

 

Beyond the cartoon joke, the check shorts of the passenger are quite sexy and the flash on the driver's trunks hints at, yet disguises, suggestive shaping. In the distorted, visual vocabulary of the image the driver's hand appears to be nudging the cop's groin, possibly grasping something - and the cop seems to have noticed. The hidden eroticism of the time (see label at foot of post for more).

 

 

Art Bob - The Rescue 1

 

Still at the Seaside, a young man strips off on a jetty to rescue a drowning man. He's not wearing any underwear which only underlines his heroism, putting himself in double jeopardy!

 

The artist has gone over the top with wide-eyed boyishness which doesn't gel at all with the mature, hairy muscularity of the character's physique. However, there's a nice sense of urgency in his improbably confused undressing and off-balance pose. The grasping hand projecting from the water is masterly. 

 

 

Art Bob - The Rescue 2

In the sequel, we see a handsome, young man being dragged from the water by his rescuer, whose concerned face now shows rather more maturity. His discarded clothes can be seen on the jetty in both pictures, the sketchy style seeming to morph them into fishing nets! 

 

The water ripples are delightfully stylish. The lower legs visible beneath them don't reflect reality, in contrast to the hand in the previous picture. That might simply reflect hasty sketching, but there's a modernist argument for showing something that's there, even if you can't see it. You can compare Art-Bob's depiction of dripping water with Tom of Finland's below.

 

Art Bob produced a number of diptychs like this, but these images are a far cry from his usual frivolity and whimsy.
 

 

Tom of Finland - Sailor Rescued From Drowning 1

 

Tom Of Finland's 1963 mini story about a drowning sailor rescued by a biker may have been inspired by this couplet. It's equally brief.

 

Tom of Finland - Sailor Rescued From Drowning 2

 

Interestingly, Tom's and Art-Bob's images interleave rather well to produce a more complete storyline, despite the disparity in technique and dress. Both seem to have decided it would be prudent not to attempt to show the moment where the two men come together in the water.

 

There may be more images in Tom's story, he usually did sets of six around this time, but if he did, I don't have them. 

 

 

Art Bob - Down The Road A-Piece

 

The final picture shows two sailors who also need rescuing. They seem to be stranded in the desert with their kitbags and an empty fuel can. A cowboy is gleefully directing them to the nearest gas station - which is clearly miles away! Little wonder they both look so downcast and dismayed. 

 

The cowboy seems to have his horse with him, the reins are in his hand, but he doesn't seem to be offering to help, perhaps he wants to enjoy their predicament for a while, as do we. 

 

Perhaps his offer of help comes with conditions and he's pointing out the unpalatable alternative. He's dressed pretty provocatively for that species and there's a telltale handkerchief in his back pocket which they haven't seen yet.  

 

I love the depiction of the sailors in this picture - both the butch seated one and the boyish doll-like one on the left. This artist shows his understanding of the sexiness of tight sailor's outfits and mangled caps. His depiction of them can't be faulted. Which is why I posted it previously in the In Praise of Sailors series.

 

More Art-Bob next time 

Index to Tom of Finland Articles

Tom of Finland - Stable Boy (1985)

I've seen this described as Tom's best picture. 
There's an endearing feeling of nostalgia as Tom's musclebound cop (his 'alter ego'),
extends a hand to the younger generation, each dressed for their own era. It brings new meaning to grooming. Tom was 65 when he drew this and AIDS was at its height, decimating the gay community, so it seems an appropriate gesture. Note the envious horse!


My article on Tom of Finland
 in the 'A-Z of Fetish Artists' series comes in 9 parts

 

Part 1 - The Lasting Appeal of Tom of Finland

Careless men, Tom's harder edge, his technique and influences

Part 2 - Kake Nos 1-9

The classic 'lost leathers' episodes - and some bizarre diversions, misogyny, husbands and hijackers

Part 3 - Kake Nos 10-15  

Man hunting leads Kake to the dungeon - and a story of revenge that doesn't fit

Part 4 - Kake Nos 16-26

A final flourish of conflict and masculinity ends with a damp squib

Part 5 - The Sinister Tom of Finland

The darker themes no-one wants to acknowledge

Part 6 - Black and White -I

Stereotypes, sportsmen and the thrill of forbidden fraternisation

Part 7 - Black and White -II

A final flowering in maturity

Part 8 - Tom's Thieves
Repeated misfortunes and a lasting obsession.

Part 9 - Tom's Fetish Credentials
Spanking, bondage and leather. Tom returns to the barricades. 

 

In addition, there are other articles about Tom of Finland here:-

 

Selected series 

 

Bar Predators, Bar Predators Revisited - reviewing and extending a popular series, arguably his best.

New unearthed artwork - 3 motorcyclists cavort in mud, from 1959

The Thieving Cowboy - bondage and spanking from 1957

The Mystery of Mr Universe - skulduggery and justice from 1961 

 

 

Drawing Style and Themes 

 

The Petulant Leatherman - surprising attitudes and unexpected emotions in one picture
Boot Worship  part of an article on another artist

Tailors and hidden eroticism - hero worship as a form of submissiveness.

Tom's Sailors ,  Tom's Sailors 2
Beards in Tom of Finland - their frequency and significance
Tom's Beard in the Pekka story 'Loggers'  - the ' Loggers' seduction scene

Tom and Fascism - The historical background

Classic Homoerotic Images - Leather Buddies

 

 

You can find further references and images by clicking on the 'Tom of Finland' label at the foot of the post or by using the search function (top right, sidebar column)

 

Originally published 21st Nov 2014 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe, part 2

You can read Part 1 of this article first if you wish

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 08 (Oiling Up)

 

On the day of the contest, the buddies change into their costumes and oil up. The dark haired one is being assisted here by some very butch-looking young men. The scenario provides an excuse for some fairly intimate contact between them. The bodybuilder has got himself a sexy, dark pouch with a chain for the waistband, and one of the assistants actually seems to be putting him into it. It's a daring ingredient, albeit well-disguised by a confusing arrangement of hands. 

 

The blond changes his clothes, unassisted. There's a sense of his friend getting all the attention, being pampered and hero worshipped. He's playing up to it, too, striking a god-like beefcake pose with modest downcast eyes. His blond buddy does not seem too dismayed or jealous about it. He is, perhaps, proud of his friend changing from a clumsy, ugly duckling into a swan. Interestingly, his beefcake pose resembles the ballet dancer's 'petit pose' and this conjures up another swan connection - 'Swan Lake', which is also about transformations. However, the Black Swan in that ballet plays a very dark role.  

 

 There's no doubt about this image being part of the 'Universe' set, it was explicitly labelled as such (with title) in Scan issue 8, circa August 1961. The distinctive chain pouch helps to assign other, later images to this set. Apart from these, I know of only two other instances in Tom's work where this pouch design is featured. One is in Beach Boys No 2 (1972) where a leather-pouched sun-bather wreaks havoc amongst the straight crowds. The other is a single image included in the mitchmen 'Tailor Group' article (previously referenced in Part 1 of Mr Universe). That one is not part of this set either, the pouch is white and it's being worn in a studio setting, suggesting a porn star being dressed or fluffed up for participation in something very different. Interestingly, though, it's another 'connected' image dated as 1963 in the Tom of Finland Retrospective Vol 1, but the Universe image above is definitely 1961. 

 

Notice the number 1 written in the bottom left corner. This may offer an explanation of the 1961 v 1963 date confusion. That the later images in Part 1 were post-scripts, prequels if you like, inspired by and elaborating on the run-up to the contest.  That doesn't explain image 3, however, which is indistinguishable in style and provenance from the group presented here.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 09

 The boys strut their stuff on the competition stage.

 

Obviously this is only a fragment of the full image and although it didn't appear until later (in 101 Boys Art Quarterly for Summer 1965), it did so alongside other fragments from the Universe series so it's almost certainly part of it. There wasn't much mileage for Tom in drawing beefcake posing when the magazines were awash with photographs of the real thing, so it's not entirely surprising that no copies of the full image have been found. The cropping here might lead you to suppose that Tom spiced it up with some provocative, costume detail deemed too daring to show. However, this publication seems to have used cropping widely and arbitrarily, perhaps to evade copyright challenges.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 10

 

Needless to say, one of the two boys is fated to win the contest. It turns out to be the blond who has appeared to be the more confident and polished one throughout the (my) story. In a flip of image 8, it's now him who is being feted (with exceptional generosity) by his beaten rivals. Tom uses an unconventional viewpoint at the rear of the stage which shows the enormous, equally excited audience almost clamouring to get on the stage with them. This is the era of pop star adulation, remember, with screaming 'Beatlemania' just around the corner.

 

Tom's backstage viewpoint also shows us the backsides of the bodybuilders, who are all, as expected, wearing very skimpy costumes, halfway to being backless thongs. Their two-man lift has parted the blond's legs (and butt cheeks) creating an extremely suggestive view (the serial croppers at '101 Boys' printed an unsubtle fragment of this specific area framed only by a glimpse of supporting shoulders). Despite this sexy detail, the image was used to advertise the series in Scan 9 (Nov 1961).

 

However, the version above is not the complete image.....

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 10 (version 2)

 This version of the victor's celebration was used to promote the series later, in Man Alive #19 (Mar 1962). It reveals that the blond's dark-haired buddy is watching the proceedings from one side and looking defeated, disappointed and envious. 

 

Notice the lines top and bottom that seem to suggest this version was meant to be cropped as well. However, the extra detail is an important link to what follows. The accompanying blurb talks portentously of 'back-stage struggles'.

 

Notice the Number '3' in the bottom corner of this picture (following the No 1 in image 8). 

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 11

  

As the competitors leave the stage, there's an extraordinary confrontation between the two buddies. The darker one attacks his friend, clamping a hand over his mouth as if he's just made some gloating, disparaging remark about him or perhaps disclosed a secret. The cherished trophy is sent flying. This sudden animosity is entirely unexpected*. 

 

But look what is happening at waist level!  He's pulling the blond into a tight embrace, which doesn't suggest their friendship is in any danger. Both their pouches are swollen and nestling together in a remarkably explicit sexual statement for it's time. 

 

The attacker's knee is raised between his friend's thighs, which might be an angry ball-bashing attack, but in reality it seems to be more about contacting his groin and prising his legs open. This detail might just be Tom milking the erotic potential of the scene, but it also seems like an echo of what the loser has just watched other men do to his buddy in image 10. Also, it may be my over-active imagination, but the blond's six-pack seems to have taken on the shape of a giant penis. There's certainly a remarkably strong line tracing down his body to his buddy's groin. 

 

 *Perhaps his annoyance is less surprising if you discount the introductory, character developing images and narrative which I assembled for Part 1. A comment posted here while I was composing this commentary says the set was originally called 'Beating Mr Universe' which implies he's probably just a sore loser. These days we could just blame steroids.

 

There may have been some cropping of his image, but disembodied hands reaching towards the sexy subject of the picture were a popular device at this time. You can see them in Etienne's calendar images and there's a similar 'off-stage' presence in Harry Bush's surfer pictures. Perhaps it's reflecting the cruel plight of men in the 60's who suffered from forbidden desires and were doomed to a life of hiding in perpetual frustration.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 12

 The bystanders drag the two combatants apart. While they glare at each other, the darker one gets a gratuitous groping. It's clear he still has plenty of admirers, the two on either side of him match those seen in image 8*. 

 

Darkie is revealed to have a giant bulge in his pouch, but it's not clear whether it's because of his feelings for his buddy or because of the guy cupping his pecs and furtively snuggling up to his uncovered backside.  

 

The blond on the right seems poised to attack or repel one. This pose can be seen in other fight images by Tom. It's not particularly interesting, but Tom has cleverly positioned his fist in a suggestive position close to the crotch of one of his rival's supporters. 

 

*Tom's fastidious attention to detailing the supporting cast as individuals and regular guys of ambiguous sexuality is one of the joys of his older work. In later years, they tended to become leather clones or cops, which were more or less equivalents.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 13

 

 Relative peace descends and the antagonists return to their post-contest routines, showering off the posing oil and stage grime. Nevertheless, the sense of animosity lingers on. The dark-haired guy has stripped off his 'costume' and is grimly grasping it, as if contemplating using its chains as a flail. He appears to be looking in the direction of his former pal who has just emerged from the shower, but his eyes are closed (or closing) in response to some distracting pampering from one of his loyal acolytes. The masseur appears to be squatting astride his right leg, in a typically ambiguous Tom juxtaposition that appears to suggest his mind is on a service he might like his hero to provide for him. The blond looks on with just the faintest trace of a smile on his face. 

 

The chain pouch confirms this to be part of the 'Universe' series. The picture is taken from 101 Boys Autumn '68, so it sheds no light on the dating of the series. 

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 14

While the blond finishes dressing, cramming his bits into incredibly tight jeans, his dark haired buddy creeps up behind him and pinches the trophy. I'm giving his motives the benefit of the doubt in not using the word 'stealing', influenced in part by his suddenly boyish appearance and cheeky grin. I can't say whether Tom intended it to be seen that way. 

 

You'll notice there's a considerable presence in his jeans, perhaps he's excited by his own daring here, or perhaps it's the result of all the attention he was getting in the last picture. But even that excitement and the enticing ass before him does not deflect him from his villainy.

 

This is another image I have reassembled from two 'bleeding chunks' published in the same issue (!) of 101 Boys, Summer '65. It's pretty obvious where the join is. The little statuette that tops the contest trophy (see image 10) can just be glimpsed between the blond's legs. That's a nice, little innuendo that is satirical as well as erotic if you think about it. Thankfully, the cropping just manages to preserve it. In addition, you can just about see that the leather guy's hand is gripping one of the handles.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 15

 The thief emerges from the contest hall to be greeted by the assembled ranks of the press corps and fans eagerly awaiting a glimpse of their victorious hero. Their expressions of shock and horror tell us exactly what they think about being presented instead with a contestant who didn't even make the top 3 (see image 10). He looks annoyingly cute and confident too! 

 

Is that all there is?, you say. 'Fraid so but we must be grateful for this small mercy from Boys 101 (yet again), for at least preserving this much. It resolves the issue of motivation, the guy just craves attention and adulation. The top of a head, just below the trophy, suggests a kneeling press-man who will probably be seeming to give it to him, by performing intimate tasks.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 16

The disappointed crowd turn on the misguided imposter and strip him of his clothing. This reveals a formidable physique that arguably justifies his disappointment at not winning*. It's possible that this revenge is triggered by the blond himself following him out and confronting him (see the middle head of the trio at the back). The ill-gained trophy falls to the ground yet again, helpfully linking this image into the series.

 

*Interestingly, AMG ran a little article alongside images from this set, reporting allegations of 'result fixing' in real bodybuilding contests, but not endorsing them.

 

This image would surely have been the best of the set in uncropped form and original quality. For once this copy isn't taken from the 101 Boys Art Quarterly, but from John Barrington's 'The Tom Album' (1974). The drawing style of the boy on the right closely resembles the characters in an early 1959 biker series which surfaced a few years ago.

 

~

 

In Tom's normal vocabulary of this period, image 16 would probably not have been the final image in his series. We would have seen the trophy restored to it's rightful owner and the miscreant doing penance in some way, possibly by way of a spanking or by grovelling before his better. If such an image exists, I haven't been able to find it but I live in hope.

 

In all we have 9 images (or parts) which can reliably attributed to the 1961 set out of the supposed 12. 

 

   

Click on this link for an Index of ToF articles at mitchmen blog

The labels below link to other topics 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe, part 1

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 01

Two leather guys (with hunky bubble butts) ponder the possibilities of bodybuilding, having just read that the 'Mr Universe' competition will be coming to a venue near them next year. 

 

As I explain in my introductory article, to the series, this image is dated as 1963 in the Tom of Finland Retrospective Vol 3, not 1961, the date when this series was first advertised. Arguably, it's more sophisticated, stylistically, than some of the images that follow. The boot tops showing through the jeans show amazing attention to detail. Nevertheless, weight-training by a blond and dark-haired couple does figure in the Universe story, so this image makes the perfect starting image.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 02

 

 The buddies embark on a programme of weight training, with their naivety about the subject much in evidence. The blond in the foreground makes a clumsy effort at training with an old-fashioned dumb-bell, which even in 1961* was reserved for comic, circus effect. His dark-haired friend struggles to even lift his more modern, barbell weights. His technique is terrible (bending his back, instead of his legs) but it produces a sight that is sexy as well as amusing. 

 

Neither of them has bothered to change into gym gear for these exertions. So, it's no wonder that the more experienced gym user, watching their efforts, is laughing at them! That's the sort of humiliation that every young man dreads. The on-looker is completely naked and standing suggestively close to the inviting ass, which is screening his nudity from us. It's a juxtaposition which is full of possibilities, but Tom is the soul of discretion. 

 

This particular image, unusually for Tom, has an 'assembled' look, as if separate images have been married together. This was a style that Luger (Colt) would soon make his own. *Like image 1, this image is actually dated as 1963 in the Tom of Finland Retrospective Vol 3. It appeared alongside image 01 above in Physique Pictorial May 1963 (PP12#4) with a snippet bemoaning the neglect of the Universe contest in the generalist beefcake press.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 03

As if chastened by their taste of gym culture, the boys head for the beach. The blond seems to have made phenomenal progress, so perhaps we're a few months further on here. He is giving advice to his less advanced buddy. Both of them still seem to have dressed more with an eye to the posing opportunity offered by the beach, rather than donning serious training gear. Perhaps for this reason, both seem to be finding their physical endeavours positively arousing. 

 

The presence of weight training equipment on a beach is probably less surprising to US readers than those in other parts of the world, where the muscle beach phenomenon is virtually unknown. There will normally be other users of the equipment around as well, of course, so the pair may not be spared further ridicule.

 

This picture has been assembled by me from two separate fragments that were printed in 101 Boys Art Quarterly in Summer 1965. It's not the full picture, one of our readers pointed me to a Tom source where the full size picture can be seen. It's in miniscule size, which I've blown up, but we're not missing much. It's attributed to 1960 by that source.

 

This picture illustrates the difference in style to the 1963 images, but the apparent fuzziness could easily be due to the reproduction process used by the magazine. It may have been pirated.  

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 04

The blond shows his friend how to do an overhead lift, but his serious mentoring turns into farce as the tiny towel he's tied round his waist becomes dislodged and flutters to the ground. There's a deliciously wry expression on the blond's face, an 'oh-oh' moment. His friend is highly amused and another fine beach specimen, out strutting his stuff, is also there to witness his embarrassment. 

 

This image, like No 3, is cropped closer than Tom's original (see link above). The cropping has the effect of drawing attention to the laughing spectator at the water's edge. No significant elements from the full picture are missing.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 05 (extra)

This image of a blond body-builder, turned on by his own physique, is not part of the Universe set, it dates from much later - 1982*. It fits in well, however, as an illustration of the bikers' growing obsession with their new hobby (and the effect on their vanity). 

 

* This image is not at all typical of Tom's other 1982 work, which is all about the leather scene he had immersed himself in. Perhaps it was a nostalgic throwback. In most copies of this image, the wall is washed out and indistinguishable from the mirror, so I have applied AI to bring it out better.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 06 (extra)

 The change in the bodybuilders' physiques as their development progresses means that before long their old clothes no longer fit them.

 This is probably not part of the set either, but it is a near contemporary (1960) and again serves to illustrate the progress of the men's quest to achieve muscledom. The original was (I think) a wry observation on the 1960s fad for sitting in the bath in new jeans so they would shrink to fit.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 07 (maybe?)

 As the contest draws nearer, the boys go shopping to get their posing outfits. 

They are both visibly more muscular. 

 

 I don't know for sure if this is a Mr Universe image, it's a maybe. However, the subject fits and the two protagonists look like buddies and are blond and dark haired. The image is listed in the Tom of Finland Retrospective, Vol 2, but is undated. However, it is positioned amongst a group of pictures from 1963. That is also the 'official' date of several of those shown above. 

 

Tom had a bit of a thing about tailors around this time. This image also appears in that article and I speculate that the flared trousers look 1970s, but they were also fashionable in the 60s and often turned up on sailors of course. These days no-one get measured for new clothes and the old jokes about inside leg measurements have gone the way of the ark.

 

Next time - The Mr Universe Contest.

 

The official source for Tom of Finland work is of course 

The Tom of Finland Foundation 

Tom of Finland - The Mystery of 'Mr Universe'

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 01

If you are a fan of Tom of Finland, you will probably be familiar with this image. It's shows two leather guys pondering the world of bodybuilding and the 'Mr Universe' competition, which seems to be coming to a venue near them 'next year'. This image is often presented as a stand-alone work, presumably because of its aspirational, 'Pride' message, but it's actually part of a 'Mr Universe' series which was widely documented in its time* but seems to have become lost or dispersed since then. This article is an attempt to reconstruct it from contemporary sources. 

 

*The Tom of Finland Retrospective (vol 1) dates this image to 1963, but the 'Mr Universe' series seems to have appeared in late 1961 (see below). It's not impossible that Tom produced this picture later, but it's obviously related, and I have chosen to make it the opening image for my reconstructed series. 

 

According to Valentine-Hooven (in "Tom of Finland, His Life and Times" p101) Tom did the series for Rex Pickering at 'Scan' Magazine, and it was indeed first advertised in 'Scan' issue 9. It was also advertised simultaneously in issue 17 of 'Man Alive' (which we can date precisely to Nov 1961). In the latter source, it is actually advertised as a 'Hussar Studio' product. Around this time, Hussar also published Tom's 'Thieving Cowboy' series, about which there is even wilder confusion over publication dates! See the 2023 mitchmen 'Thieving Cowboy' article for more on Tom's relationship with Royale /Hussar.

 

 

Tom of Finland - The Leather Outfit Thief 01 (my title)

 

  We don't know exactly how Tom viewed 'bikers' at this time, in the 'Mr Universe' image (top) they are drawn as cute boys with bubble butts, looking slightly naive in their leather jackets. However, in a contemporary series illustrated above, the leather man is portrayed as a muscular, god-like creature, worshipped from the bushes by an envious youth. It's another series (like the Thieving Cowboy) in which a set of clothes is stolen, and the same thing happens in the second of the 'Kake' series. In 1964, it's the motorbike itself that gets stolen. All these miscreants end up on the receiving end of a severe belting, and Tom's work is littered with handsome leather men treating eager, initiates in the same way. That's a good excuse for including one of my own favourite Tom images....

 

Tom of Finland - Leather Initiation

 In later life, Tom was absorbed into the world of leather that fascinated him so much. Quite which end of the belt he saw himself is not known, but the experience of having his own drawings stolen in 1954 and widely pirated after he became famous may be relevant. In that context, the aspiration of two biker dandies to become more muscular and, by implication, more manly, makes perfect sense. 

 

 

Tom of Finland - Test Your Strength

 

This image, with the same youthful admirer from the Leather Outfit Thief, is also from 1961. It's actually part of the 'Circus Set' but embodies, in a more positive way, the idea of manly role models for gay men to aspire to.

 

The 'Mr Universe' series isn't about joining the Leather Clan, but it is very much about justice and assertiveness. The scarcity of surviving, intact images is probably a reflection of Tom's attempts to control the distribution of his own work. In 1965 '101 Boys Art Quarterly' was able to publish only fragments of some of the individual images. In the same year, AMG published a couple of (complete) images from the set in Physique Pictorial with a typically waspish comment to the effect that they offered many of Tom's series for sale, but this wasn't one of them!

 

Valentine-Hooven says there were 12 to 15 pictures in the series, I have identified a group of 17 images that seem related, of which 2 or 3 are dubious, but interesting. 

 

The story begins in the next post.  

 

New Spanking by Tom of Finland + other discoveries

Tom of Finland - Spanking

 I thought I'd seen all the Tom of Finland images I was ever likely to see until this amazing spanking image turned up recently on Strictop's GaySpankArt site at BSkySocial. It's in Tom's early '60's style which produced many of the great classics. The fashion detailing of the protagonist's clothing, socks, shoes and jumper suggests to me that it's quite early. If so, it's surprisingly explicit, sneakily so.

Some more rare gems from Strictop's collection.....

Steve Masters - Circus discipline

 This image by the highly original Steve Masters is the soul of discretion by comparison. You have to look closely just to see that it is spanking-related. Some scamp caught trying to sneak into the circus tent faces retribution. Is it a thrashing, or is the circus performer removing his belt with something different in mind, inspired by the juicy offering before him? 

Master's unique style featuring skin tight clothing has you guessing whether these men are clothed or not, opening up the more racy interpretation. Are those tattoos or fancy performance clothes the belt man is wearing? The detailing of the intruder's jeans is so faint that at first you don't see it. 

On closer inspection, fashion detail to match Tom's can be seen - the deep turn-ups of the jeans and black basketball shoes are so 50s yoof culture. Similar shoes turned up not long ago in a 1958 Royale Studio photo set of Ian Oliver.

 

This image by Matt is another rarity, preserved and rebranded by the notorious 'Nick Shadow'. A customer who complained gets short shrift from the Chef! Chef spanking crops up fairly regularly in the new wave of AI spanking imagery, but I confess that I don't really get it. I suppose the ubiquity of the wooden spoon, sometimes used for domestic paddling, makes the connection. The authority (and temperaments) of Chefs in professional kitchens is more widely understood these days thanks to TV, but the scenario doesn't really work for me. What I do like here is the maturity of the recipient and the hairiness of the spanker, whose hand lingers on his butt suggestively.

 This image by RASchultz is another period piece with a puzzling scenario that was probably inspired by the story he was illustrating. Executioner's masks had a bit of a vogue in the Drummer 80's and so did Chippendale bow ties on strippers, but it's hard to deduce what the connection might be in this picture. Fortunately, the sense of domination and beautiful, kneeling bondage in the imagery is so powerful that you don't really need to.

 

This image by Copper was a revelation to me. He is a prolific producer of comics which use humour to defuse their subject. I have seen his pointillist style before too, but the dark drama of this offering is on a different level. The hand under the chin makes an unusual physical connection and subtly reinforces the Master's control. Not sure about the moon, though! Artistic licence?

 

The great, British artist, Bill Ward, drew such uncompromisingly masculine figures that he even gets away with a walrus moustache here. Ripped pants, jock strap and a face down in a crotch make up an irresistible image of assertiveness and submission.

 

 

A final, eye-pleasing, modern AI offering from otklad, with a Senior Scout learning that you're never too old to learn about authority and discipline and that different rules are necessary when you're a long way from urban civilisation.

 ~

I'm indebted to Strictop for collecting these images, 
he also has a collection of spanking images on 'X' and a link to his spankart gallery.