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. There doesn't seem to be much doubt that they are gay men.

 

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.  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 point.

 

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 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. 

 

It's no wonder that the more experienced gym user, watching their efforts, is laughing at them! It's the sort of humiliation that is every young man's dread. You might ask whether you see the insensitive spectator as gay or straight. Whatever the case, he is completely naked and standing suggestively close to the inviting (gay) 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 make his own. *Like image 1, this image is actually dated as 1963 in the Tom of Finland Retrospective Vol 3 

 

 

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 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.

 

This picture has been assembled by me from two separate fragments that were printed in 101 Boys Art Quarterly in Summer 1965. It's almost certainly not the full picture, Tom didn't usually crop this tightly and I suspect there's another character around, observing the boys' efforts (see above and below).

 

 

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. Another fine beach specimen, out strutting his stuff, is there to witness his embarrassment. There's a deliciously wry expression on the blond's face, an oh-oh moment.

 

This image, like No 3, is almost certainly cropped closer than Tom's original, fairly obviously to the right and left, but also above with only a tiny fragment of the weights visible. It has the effect of drawing attention to the laughing spectator at the water's edge. I don't think any significant elements are missing, however.

 

This Article is Work in Progress, 

please come back in a day or so for more.

 

 

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 (link pending).  

 

New 'Night Visitor' pic by Mitchell

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Homoeros - Recent work (2025) - 3

Start from Part 1 of this series

 

 

'Tavern' sees a young man sucked into a world of wealth and power, and in this image the historical dress conveys that background very effectively. It's combined with a convincing setting, too. This is an age when those who fell from favour might face the axeman, so this grovelling submission is perfectly understandable.

 

This man, Dylan, is not faced by such an extreme a punishment, but the whipping post is bad enough. 

The kneeling position is unusual, but it works visually, introducing a sense of submission.

 

 

The rear view presented to the captor is even better.

 

 

I included a 'riding the wedge' image in Part 1 of this series, It simply showed the rider and by implication focussed on the physical and mental discomfort caused by the device. The introduction of a leather clad top here, surveying the captive, brings home his vulnerability to external interference. Indeed, the restraint arrangement offers him up to such mischief, and he looks quite apprehensive about it. His relative youth and sheer cuteness suggests an experience gap which is likely to be narrowed somewhat before too long. 

 This surprising sequel opens up another dimension to his initiation. The prospect his new visitors promise seems just as scary, judging by his face, but excitement still shows elsewhere. It looks as if he's got himself into a seriously leather, gender-neutral establishment, although the setting looks like an ordinary, nightclub, out of hours. 

It was these two images that prompted me to do a Part 3 of this review. 

 

Didn't that guy do something to me in that S&M Club last night?

Homoeros does a lot of vanilla studies. This one, showing a jogger's chance encounter in the woods, is rather nice. Love is in the air here, not fetish.

 

Two men, clad in black, commit another unfortunate to the cross.

This is a compelling image of the grim moment of truth.

 

 

 

The technician stills the condemned man by sitting on his chest.

Producing an incongruous moment of intimacy.

 

The helplessness of the spread-eagled captive is apparent here.

The outstretched arm is beyond his control

 

 

When they switch to deal with his feet,

it's another significant deprivation of any sense of freedom.

 

Then callously stroll away without a backwards look.

 

 

This device is more humane, a display spreader, according to the artist.

Would that were all it could be used for, the incumbent might wish.

 

 

  In a Police Station near you, another Hoodlum submits.

Deprived of his clothing, it might be a long night.

 

 

 

A casual encounter, the locking of eyes tells a story.

It's about wills and intents, as well as attraction.

 

 

 

 

But all is not what it seemed.

Perhaps he got what he wanted anyway.

But he might look more grateful.

 

 

 

'The Hostage' seems to have been put on display.

His sinewy muscle made useless by the simplest of bindings.

 

Read the whole series from Part 1

 

Visit Homoeros at Deviant Art

Leather Art by Nerone - 3

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Leather Art by Nerone 2

Read Part 1 of this article

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 065

 

 Today's images are from Nerone's 'Fast Drip' series, it's an apt tag for this image.

There's a great sense of skin to skin contact and sexual tension.

His simple, black and white sketches are greatly enhanced by imaginative colouring 

 

 

 

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 056

 

This artist's characters often seem to be very clearly delineated as tops or subs,

 but for the avoidance of doubt, he's brought out the ropes here.
This image exists in another variant where the top is not bearded (below).

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 056 (clean-shaven)

 

The warm colours here enhance the sense of intimacy.

 

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 066

More delving into dark, moist places here, 

a lucky dip that's caused an element of surprise.

But if you must wear white underwear.....well...

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 089

 

 Snuggling from behind is enormously comforting,

 even though it leaves everything up front unprotected.

He's too busy to care about that, right now.

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 091

Sleepy lovers greet the day with closeness and warmth,

The sense of hairiness and bulk here is so masculine.

A two gun salute would seem to be in order next. 

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 104

 

There's more edge here, with a grip on the throat demanding submission.

The glimpse of boots and pants tell us this is men at play, acting out their fantasy.

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 114

 

Casual encounters are meat and drink (as it were) to gay men.  

The fallen pants here give some sense of the excitement of them.

There's normally no such thing as sub and dom in this situation, 

although you might attribute an ambition to top in the placing of the hand.

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 115

 

How different this encounter looks! 

There's a compelling sense of domination,

both in the gesture and the bulky build of the man in control.

But he isn't turned on that much it seems, it's power he craves.

Asking for a rise was never like this in my Office!

 

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 320

Hopefully this is just a token of submission, not the start of a protracted trial!

These images vary in quality, this is a good one. 

Nice characterisation, with Italian looks and a physique that looks real.

Notice that the ball looks compressed by the thumb.

Nerone - Fast Drip 351

Just a hint of apprehension. Maybe it's his first time.
The absence of leather paraphernalia might mean gentleness

 - or dangerous inexperience.

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 354

This rope-work is decidedly unprofessional.

An amateur DIY job? Unrequited longing to be tied up?

If you can help, please form an orderly queue

 

 

Nerone - Fast Drip 380

Just a pretty picture of an era gone by.

More Nerone in Part 3

Read Part 1 of this article

See more Nerone at his blog (inactive)

Leather Art by Nerone - 1

Nerone - CP1 Man Tied to a Chair

From Nerone's Perv Catechism Series:- featuring simple imagery, a refreshingly mature subject and a naughty, teasing glimpse of hairy undercarriage that makes you wonder what you are really looking at!

 

Nerone - CP3 Man Tied and Kneeling

 

Another, unvarnished visualisation of manhood with a tang of Tagame about it. 

The hint of socks makes his nudity more apparent, the kneeling an attempt to hide it.

 

 

Nerone - CP4 Man in Chastity and Chains

With his neatly trimmed hair and beard,

 this man seems to belong to the world of commerce rather than a dungeon. 

His hands are secured to a wall ring that would safely berth a Supertanker,

the padlock and manacles making the connection being equally emphatic. 

 

The chastity jock enclosing his tackle is no less compromising.

The design eliminates any chance of outside interference.

Except by the privileged holder of the key to that tiny padlock. 

 

 

Nerone - CP28 Man Subbing His Sub With Crop

Nerone's simple black and white, sketchy technique and the realism of his depiction of the participants disguises a very frank illustration of S&M applied to a sub's undercarriage.

 

 

Nerone - CP52 - Man Domination and Worship

 There's a nice sense of play in this image, with the 'sub' unresisting both to the gloved, hand-gag 

and also to the leverage on his body, exposing him to a 'vampire' kiss on the neck.

 

 

More Nerone in Part 2

See more Nerone at his blog (inactive)