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.

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 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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

AI art by JovialDragon777

Jovial Dragon777 - Subject A301

As his name implies, JovialDragon777 has a light-hearted approach to his fantastical situations. In his 'Subject' series, he documents the reactions of men, restrained to face unspecified trials. One involving what looks suspiciously like a hairdrier in the example above. This subject appears to have arrived on a trolley, which is seen folded down while he takes his turn on the cross. He's still standing on the trolley platform. 

The whole series has been given a subtle Christmassy flavour, which makes perfect sense in the context of publication during the festive season. However, linking to the season of goodwill will seem a cruel irony during the rest of the year. 

 

Jovial Dragon777 - Subject J209

The extensive cabling leaves little doubt about the agent of discomfort in this example. The purpose of these trials, ostensibly, is to select and develop a cadre of recruits able to undertake the most demanding of 'missions'. The poster on the wall, bluntly points out the criteria to the latest prospect who is in the process of failing his test miserably.

 This artist takes a great interest in styling, there seems to be a 'Jules Verne' flavour in the imagery here (as in Hollywood's interpretations of the great author). The Victorian-style, pseudo-scientific underpinning of the exercise is reflected in the assistant diligently making notes at the side. There's a corresponding, low-key element of steam punk in the background detail.

 

Jovial Dragon777 - Subject G888

 This artist has eclectic tastes and his examinations deal with men of all ages, builds, and skin colours. This is one of my favourites, the strongest of stereotypes, most likely to succeed, you might think. The steel collar certainly fits his persona more than the other subjects here, but he too is about to be presented with his own nemesis. Possibly one not on the official test schedule.

The unusual restraint arrangement, utilising a tilted table, creates a sense of instability for the captive and his struggling makes him seem energetic and defiant, adding a great deal to his character and the drama. The scientific samples in the wall cabinets imply a cold, scientific motivation behind all this, but the behaviour of the lab staff is less objective.

 

Jovial Dragon777 - Subject X001

There are presently 19 other pictures in the 'Subject' series in which the artist explores other, more exotic ways of testing a man's mettle. In this case, it's the Tentacled Graspmoor. The X-spread vulnerability of the subject as he 'faces' this challenge, suggests the creature's forte is not so much grasping as probing. 

 

The note taker seems more at risk than him in the image above, but I dare say that the experimenters have a way of drawing the creature to the intended quarry. Perhaps 'scenting' of the target is the purpose of the object in the lead technician's hand, which might otherwise be mistaken for a microphone or babies rattle.

 

Jovial Dragon777 -Autumn Crush 006

This artist's back-catalogue is loaded with the usual AI fare of beautiful, muscular men, but his 'Autumn Crush' series is a particularly arty and colourful collection. He makes these models work for their eyeball time, sometimes spicing their poses with humorous, erotic innuendo, as in the double spouted, tea/coffee pot above and the more ambiguous object in the image below.

Jovial Dragon777 - Autumn Crush 035

There's a delicious vulnerability and neediness in this man that is unexpected in one so remarkably handsome. We find him passively communing with nature and goodness knows what else. The pumpkin stalks seem to be waiting in line for their turn, or maybe it's just excitement. 

 

Jovial Dragon777 - SpaceSubs 36

 Spacesubs is a delicious fantasy featuring men, often characterised as sports men, who have been abducted in a Jules Verne-style spacecraft and find themselves alone with a character dressed in a Venice Carnival mask and little else. Unreality, isolation with a mad man and fear of flying combine to make in a complex fright situation. His anxiety might also be related to being restrained with his sports top still on and nothing down below. It looks like he can rule out being ransomed.

 

Jovial Dragon777 - SpaceSubs 040

In much of Jovial Dragon's art, naughtiness is implied but not actually shown. This SpaceSub has clearly had sight of what is in store and it's not table-top soccer. A big, mature man, he's about to have his orbit extended. Unfortunately, the nearest help is thousands of miles away.  

 

Jovial Dragon777 - SpaceSubs 017

 

More sinister possibilities are seeded here. The bizarrely masked captor gently touches his subject's back, but since he's dressed in leather fetish regalia, this approach doesn't suggest a cuddle party is pending (even if his leathers are brown).  

My captioned variant rules out the simply lascivious option.

 

 

Jovial Dragon777 - SpaceSubs 032

I particularly like this hunk, in a similar leather harness, diligently recording the bewilderment of a basketball player who has yet to discover the full range of discomforts available on this vessel.  You will observe that the other illustrations suggest there is a whole fleet of Vernsian spacecraft out there, waiting to pounce on subjects of interest.

  

Jovial Dragon777 - Xibalban Dreams 011

In Xibalban Dreams, we see idealised men elaborately clad in ironmongery, roaming the mysterious ruins of their ancestors, now engulfed by the forest. Searching for the lost key, perhaps.

 

Jovial Dragon777 - Xibalban Dreams 07

 The 'noble savage' gets a bad press these days, but shorn of its derogatory colonial connotations, it's an ancestry any man could be proud of. Catastrophe may have overtaken his civilisation, but its crafting skills and impressive genes live on in this survivor.

Jovial Dragon777 - Xibalban Dreams040

 A device like this adorned some beefcake models in the 1950s as photographers sought a sleeker alternative to the dowdy, posing pouch. Their solution was clenched between the cheeks*, this one seems to rely on some other form of support. Possibly internal? A little impractical for the jungle, I would have thought. How would he cope if he was jumped by some sort of forest creature?

*See Royale Mechandising post for context 

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 Jovial Dragon777 posts at Deviant Art,
more of his work and a link next time 

Targeted in the Jungle

1AwakKatMane - Fight to the Death

 

With climate change, Skinny Dipping is getting a lot more dangerous!
Patient predators await the unwary

version with caption 

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This artist has come up with a great idea here, giving the tentacles theme a real life believability. The soldier's nudity in the face of an organic threat is highly erotic.  He plays more with the snake theme at his DeviantArt page, but not often as successfully as this. The male characters are great, but AI struggles to make the beast do what it wants.

 

1AwakKatMane - Anaconda in my Bath

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See more art by 1AwakKatMane on Deviant Art

For similar posts on these themes, click on the labels below. 

or search 'snakes'

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.

 

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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 

Homoeros - Recent Work (2025) - 2

Read Part 1 of this '2025 Recent Work' article

 

 

1

 

This story, simply called 'Farm Boys', opens in a sunny field filled with gay flowers. Two Farm Boys are examining a scarecrow. Well, one of them is, I've called him Seth. The other, Tim, is keeping his distance. The scarecrow has an outer wrapping of well-worn sacking, it looks as if it's been around for a long, long time and it's very spooky. Horror movie fans will recognise the meme with relish. The pumpkins lying around on the floor confirm the worst, this has got to be Halloween. 

 

The presence of summer flowers in Autumn might be considered another spooky element. It's probably artistic licence, designed to give that initial impression of beauty, peace and well-being.

2

Despite his amazing muscles, Tim is unnerved by the scarecrow and wants to get away. Seth laughs and puts a reassuring, affectionate arm round his shoulder. The two friends walk off, unaware that behind them, the scarecrow seems to have reacted to them in a disturbing way.

3

The Farm Boys hold hands as they depart, clearly they are more than just friends. 

The scarecrow seems to be watching them. 

We see now that it isn't secured to the support.

 

4

That evening, a mysterious mist descends on the farm. 

As Seth walks home, he is unaware of strange creatures emerging from it behind him.

In the distance, the scarecrow's cross is now vacant.

 

5

Seth is attacked by the creatures, overwhelmed and stripped naked*.

As they carry him off, a storm breaks. Brilliant lightning sears the sky, 

Torrential rain pelts Seth's naked body.

*more images at DeviantArt (link below)

6

With the storm raging, the creatures carry Seth across the sodden field

Ahead, two scarecrow crosses are planted amongst the pumpkins.

One of them is already occupied, a naked man hangs from the cross piece. 

He's tied by his wrists and ankles.

7

Seth is dragged the last few yards to the crosses, where the 3rd creature awaits.

He looks up at the last minute and sees the unconscious, hooded figure already hanging there.

 

8

Seth is hung on the cross next to Tim.

The rain continues to pelts down on them, cascading down their naked bodies.

Lightning flashes illuminate their glossy, neutralised muscles.

 

You can fill in the gaps in this tale by starting to read at Deviant Art 

 

This tale is a splendid, gothic variation on Homoeros' favourite theme of crucifixion. 

A bloodless one, which pleases me. The horror iconography is a bit random, but the scarecrow role reversal is very effective, and the outcome is still disturbingly sexy. It does seem, as if Seth and Tim are being punished for being gay, the same might also be said of the story of hitchhiker Leo in Part 1. But equally, it may simply be that these malevolent creatures hate lovers and happy people.

See the foot of this post for other scarecrows 

and ominous farm settings at mitchmen.

 

 

9 Medieval 43

The artist's interest in depicting homophobic situations is even more explicit in this series, which is simply titled 'Medieval'. A nobleman's son has been caught in 'flagrante delicto' with a wandering Player (i.e. an entertainer). No guessing who's going to be blamed for this fall from grace! A dripping dick is the smoking gun. 

 

The Player is abused then dragged before a priest - to confess and reform, I guess. This is a great image with good composition and convincing figure interactions. The Renaissance style colouring and warm lighting in the style of Caravaggio is a very clever embellishment.

 

 

10 Medieval 59

The Priest proves to better at exploitation than rectification, but I suppose someone has to have a pop at the handsome offender before he is despatched to his fate. He also hangs around afterwards to legitimise the sadistic proceedings that follow. The Player is spread X-fashion across a timber frame and the whips are brought out.

 

 

11 Medieval 61

The executioner lays the whip on with ferocious energy. I can't say I enjoy the sight of blood, especially after having read about the consequences of harsh floggings in Clavering's 'Under The Lash', but this is an intensely dramatic image, made more so by the crazy angling. 

 

The executioner's arched torso expresses a determination to inflict the maximum pain. The stiffness of the victim's physique reflects his efforts to manage and contain it. The naked man's anatomy is more compact and realistic than in older work by this artist.

12 Medieval 77

Once the tormentors have completed the designated flogging and discharged their own interest, the victim is taken down. He's set on the floor, with a timber block under his shoulders, and they proceed to nail his arms to it. I've selected this single image to represent that process (depicted at length by Homoeros), because it illustrates the victim's horror and helplessness as he grasps what they intend to do to him. The torturers continue to show their keenness to do the job well, sitting astride him, not shying away from intimate contact with the condemned man. 

13 Medieval 88

When the grisly attachment process is complete, the block is lifted into brackets high up on a wall frame especially built to hold it. This elaborate arrangement suggests crucifixion is a regular occurrence in this particular dungeon, but it seems the perpetrators never tire of watching their victim's suffering and descent into oblivion. Unlike Leo the rambler in Part 1 of this post, there's no-one to rescue the young Player.

Fill in the picture gaps at Deviant Art starting from Medieval 01

 

~

 

There are a number of other examples of spooky scarecrows 

and ominous farm settings at mitchmen:-

 

Chenz-X-Chen, from Art by Chenz-X-Chen 

EdDraws (sinister happenings in a corn field)

Amalaric (scarecrow punishment in Cruel Justice)

Jotto (scarecrow conversion)

RomanAI (sinister corn fields)

Palanca (corn fields and corns)

 

click on the labels at the foot of the post for other related articles

 

~

 

14

 

Here, it looks like the Player from 'Medieval' has got himself into more trouble.

The naked man, drunk and disorderly, is arrested and handcuffed in a modern city centre.

I suppose reincarnation might well perpetuate the terrible traumas of a previous existence.

This detention may not be without bodily consequences either, invasive maybe, but not fatal.  

The moment when a man submits to capture never fails to stir me.

 

 

 

 

15

 

This appears to be a very different situation where two men have emerged from an underground tunnel to discover the opening is sealed by bars. You can feel their frustration and disappointment. This may be an escape attempt that has come to naught. Maybe they didn't even suspect they had been imprisoned, but were just exploring. Now the terrible truth unfolds. 

There's an echo of Gilgamesh in the idea of a labyrinthine prison.

 

 

16

This man certainly knows he is a captive, because he's in a bare stone cellar with his hands tied.

He must have tried to escape, but thwarted now, he kneels submissively to await his fate.

The simplicity of the image gives a sense of his helplessness and abandonment.

 

17

This captive is tied to an easel-like frame, as if by a man who sees himself as an artist.

A man who sees his captive as worthy of display, a canvass for his artistic talents.

However, it's a frame of tremendous size and strength, built to withstand great forces.

Neither of these ingredients bode well for the young captive.

His muscularity pleases the eye, but will be sorely tested in the coming days, sorely.

18

The final image in this selection is another simple but powerful idea.

A naked man has been brought to his knees by another, skimpily dressed in gladiatorial accessories.

He's not restrained, nor trapped in a cell, but bought low in a vast open, deserted arena.

With his back turned, defenceless, to his antagonist, his bowed head signals total submission.  

 

The telltale clues to this sorry state can be seen in the area below his left armpit:-

Flecks of blood and a glimpsed loop of a whip.

His strong jaw and masculine stubble underline the depths of his subjugation.

Dejection, humiliated. A great little image.

 

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 Read Part 1 of this '2025 Recent Work' article

 

&

 

More Homoeros at mitchmen blog