Tom Of Finland - Tailors and Hidden Eroticism

In my review of Royale Studio's Soldier-Sailor set, picture 11, I remarked how Tom of Finland used the 'man and his kneeling dresser' theme in pictures produced about the same time. The picture I was thinking of is shown below, it was produced in 1959.

Tom of Finland - At The Tailor's

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Inside leg measurement is a classic subject for corny innuendo, Tom's young tailor has a good fistful at the top end of the tape but the young man seems completely oblivious of it. Like Royale, Tom plays down the erotic intent. But this picture is relevant to Royale in another way, as it also contains disguised sexual content like Royale's pictures did. If you don't know the piece already, look at the image on the back cover of the fat man's magazine and you will discover exactly what he thinks of the young man being fitted out. I can't recall any other picture by Tom that has a hidden explicit message like this - but perhaps I've just not spotted them yet. 

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Tom of Finland - Fine Adjustments

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The second 'dresser' picture is from 1963 and, together with the previous picture from 1959, brackets the Royale era quite neatly. This time it's a modelling theme and exploits the idea of a hunk being 'adjusted' by a lesser mortal. Tom uses the clothing in a much more adventurous way. The G-string is extremely revealing and its unconventional strap, made from chain, plunges down between the model's buttocks, creating a sexy rearview which even today gives a bit of a jolt. Note how Tom uses the mirror in exactly the same way as Royale did to provide this second viewpoint. The dresser's adjustments are less intimate this time, but as he bends in his ever-so-tight jeans, his backside seems to have caught the hunky model's eye.

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Tom of Finland - Measuring Up

 

Picture 3 is less well known, a locker room scene whose date I can't discover, but the frontal nudity fixes it later. The fashion looks circa 1970. This picture captures the 'kneeling dresser' pose in classic form and the drawing of this particular young man is rather nice. Tom used submissive kneeling quite a lot around this time in a variety of situations. In the best ones, like 'the careless motorcyclist', the victim is being forced down.

 

This image is a curious mixture of the explicit and the coy. The spectator's cock is rather substantial but points downwards - at one point in the crazy world of censorship this was a genuine yardstick of acceptability. It doesn't really add a lot to the picture but did represent a statement of liberation to it's audience at the time.

 

The proximity of the dresser's face to the jocks equipment is another fairly obvious erotic feature, but what exactly is the dresser measuring? Inches count in this area! What is he doing with his hidden left hand? Probably up to no good judging by the various facial expressions.

The tape measure is quite a useful accessory here, visually highlighting the jocks backside and providing a sense of his being temporarily captured while his 'vital statistics' are assessed.

I have a recollection that there is another picture by Tom on this theme but I haven't been able to find it. It shows a kneeling shop assistant assisting a young man into a very revealing new outfit but in this picture the assistant is very obviously embarrassed. If anyone can help with this, please get in touch with me via the comments feature or the e-mail link on my profile.

Men Sharing Clothes 8 - Brothers Spanked in Underwear

In previous items in this series I played with the idea of models unwittingly or knowingly sharing clothes worn by another man. This group from Captured Guys gets 2 brothers, Hunter and Zack, to pose in the same underwear for bondage and then spanking.

 

 

Hunter gets to go first. The Hanes briefs don't seem to be a very good fit, maybe they belong to his brother, which would explain why he looks so unhappy wearing them. Sisters are noted for swapping clothes, but not brothers. Not like this. Fortunately, once he's bent over the looseness in the pants disappears and he is about to be given other things to think about. In fact, I think he is already thinking about it!

Hunter spanked at 'Captured Guys'

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Now brother Zack gets put his privates into the pouch warmed by his brother's gear - and by the spanker's hand behind of course.

He seems quite resigned to his fate, but let's face it, that tape gag means business. Underneath his mouth is wide open and stuffed with something you'd rather not have in there. Still, at least it's not his brother's pants.

Zack spanked at 'Captured Guys'

The boy's are sharing the same spanker's hand as well!

Finally here are the two boys presenting their results so we can compare them. They seem to have got off quite lightly this time.

Two for the family album.

For other articles in this series click on the 'sharing' label below.

Royale Studios 17 - The Soldier-Sailor Set (FJSS) - 9

The FJSS series of 21 pictures reviewed in previous articles covers a lot of ground and it feels as though there must have been many more images produced during the shoot. Maybe they were discarded for reasons of quality or content. Perhaps they were simply kept back for lack of publication space. It's tantalising to think there might be some around today.

Fred Collins (L) and John Skilling (R) Wrestling by Royale Studio

In modern times we expect a series of pictures to end with the men naked and grappling with each other, but the best I can do is to add this one of John and Fred wrestling, not quite nude but nearly. Geeks like me will notice the Royale code FJWR = Fred-John-WRestling.

Fred Collins and Tibor Urgay by Royale Studio

This picture (right) of Fred from a set with Tibor Urgay shows Royale could do upper body shots - and what a body Fred has! We barely glimpsed it in the FJSS set. I suspect the demands of creating special 'hidden' erotic effects with shadows got in the way of highlighting muscularity. Or perhaps the uniforms were thought sufficient by themselves. By the way, I suspect the G-strings here have been 'sanitised' .

John Skilling by Royale Studio 

Here is John Skilling, truly naked and lying on the same wrestling mat as picture 1 above. It's a classic 50's/60's glamour pose, but rather risque without clothes on. 
He looks very cute and urchin-like with those dirty feet. 
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John Skilling, nude by Royale Studio 

Finally another picture of John nude, more classically posed for safety,
but showing off his 'wasp' waist and succulent bottom extremely well.

These pictures give us a glimpse of what is missing from the uniform sets.

I would love to see them recreated by a skilled modern photographer
unfettered by constraints on nudity and eroticism.

For earlier articles in this series click on the GIU/Royale label below

If anyone has better copies of these pictures which they are willing to share 
I would be very pleased to hear from them

Royale Studios 17 - The Soldier-Sailor Set (FJSS) - 8

Royale Studios - Soldier-Sailor 20

In the aftermath of the fight, both men are strung up by one wrist suggesting a punishment for their brawling. They look at each other in a humorous Oliver Hardy moment - 'another fine mess.....etc.' I like the way the ropes create continuity through these final pictures. Bondage was strictly a taboo subject in the UK at this time, but this picture is not so much about immobilisation in order to exploit the captives but about securing them so they don't get into any more mischief. 

Some eroticism derives from their being tethered together, their bodies could be touching but Royale didn't risk that. A modern day photographer free from their constraints could create seriously erotic images from this idea. Sadly once again here Royale pass up the chance to highlight the upper body definition of the models.

Royale Studios - Soldier-Sailor 21

The final picture No 21 shows the pair working together to free themselves and this situation allows them to actually touch, entwine even! Fred's knee is positioned just above the sailor's groin casting a shadow which highlights his bulge. His own groin is being lifted towards the sailors face providing plenty of suggestive material. Sailor John's pose in this picture is sexy and appealing to me for a reason I can't really explain, his low key, natural posing in this set is a subtle delight. 

Part 9 (The Models)
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This last picture in the Soldier-Sailor set brings me back to my opening speculations about connections with the 'Unapproved' set. Compare the pictures, above, from that series with those below.

Royale Studios - two pictures from 'Unapproved'.

 The same uniforms of course with amazing shots of tight shorts. The two men are also tethered wrist to wrist again, with handcuffs in this case. They climb upwards seeking to escape punishment. The similarity of this idea with No 21 is remarkable. If they aren't directly connected they surely must have sprung from the same source. The FJSS storyline of squabbling and punishment would also provide a neat prequel to 'Unapproved' whose opening scenes are shrouded in some mystery. But that's another story!

Read my article on "Unapproved"

For earlier articles in this series, featuring vintage erotic 'men in uniform' photos, click on the GIU/Royale label below

If anyone has better copies of these pictures which they are willing to share I would be very pleased to hear from them

Royale Studios 17 - The Soldier-Sailor Set (FJSS) - 7

Royale Studios - Soldier-Sailor 18

In No 18 the drum is brought forward and it looks as if the sailor has lost the fight, his head is bowed and submissive whereas Fred's open pose is more dominant and his right arm is threateningly poised, suggestive of holding a whip or stick. The sailor appears to be reaching for the rope on top of the drum. Even so, the well-known punishment scene in No 19 comes as something of a surprise. 

 Royale Studios - Soldier-Sailor 19


The complete submission of the sailor in these two pictures has a subtle eroticism for those who enjoy such things (like me!) but there's no disguising the sexual message behind the belting of the his upturned bottom. Spanking images may have been commonplace in the early 60's but not in this sort of context with grown, half naked men.

For physique fans No 19 showcases Fred's chunky body and legs splendidly and for once his posing is spot on. The shadow on the wall behind adds a second viewpoint in a distinctly menacing form. 

The accessories get more than a walk-on part in this picture, the strap in Fred's hand appears to have come from the drum in No 18. Notice that the ropes have also become separated from the drum and now look as though they might even be wound around the sailor's wrists, flirting with another UK taboo - bondage. 

Part 8

For earlier articles in this series click on the GIU/Royale label below

If anyone has better copies of these pictures which they are willing to share I would be very pleased to hear from them

Royale Studios 17 - The Soldier-Sailor Set (FJSS) - 6

Royale Studios - Soldier Sailor 16 

The confrontation hinted at in the last images (14 & 15) develops in these pictures 16 and 17, Fred's smile suggests it's a fairly mild disagreement. The sailor's left hand, arguably miming a cock-pumping action, may offer a clue. Fred's riposte is a pointing finger poised as though to penetrate the sailor's ring of fingers. You can interpret this as an exchange of insults (along the lines of wanker - bummer) or as a more suggestive exchange, but in any event a fight develops in No 17.

 Royale Studios - Soldier Sailor 16

The fighting is purely symbolic. This is the era of AMG whose films and photo stories usually employed amateurish wrestling sequences, partly to camouflage the sexy flesh on flesh images, but also to combat the public perceptions of universal effeminacy amongst homosexuals. Royale's uniforms are intended to create a similar, manly effect and there's usually some male-male conflict in the form of a fight and/or punishment scene.

These are not the best pictures in the set due to the stilted posing and Fred's over-acting but you get a decent view of their outfits in these print quality images and for me the sailor still represents real eye candy in No 16. Royale's lighting here doesn't do justice to his lean upper body muscularity but just look at how it showcases Fred's thighs! The introduction of a military drum adds authenticity to the scene.

Part 7

For earlier articles in this series click on the GIU/Royale label below

If anyone has better copies of these pictures which they are willing to share I would be very pleased to hear from them

Royale Studios 17 - The Soldier-Sailor Set (FJSS) - 5

Royale Studios - Soldier-Sailor 14 & 15

I have expressed before my admiration for pictures 14 and 15 which show the two models shot from between the other's legs. The sailor has now ditched the full length trousers for white shorts which suit him admirably, this is a feast of chunky legs! The low viewpoint enhances this no end of course and the boys have hitched up their hemlines for good measure. The headgear also works well in this image.

The soldier's pose in these pictures is quite aggressive, arms folded or hands on hips (in 15), spoilt only by the slight inward bowing of his legs. The sailor by comparison seems wary, almost fearful - very sexy. The wall shadows, framing the far figure add drama and menace to the scene as well. 

These compositions are so dramatic and arty that you almost miss the 'hidden' sexual ingredients - there are ambiguous highlights on Fred's shorts in No 14. On the sailor's shorts in No 15, a mysterious balloon-shaped shadow created by the multiple lighting (from Fred's head?) suggests the shape of a curving penis. More explicitly, the enticing cleft between the buttocks in both pictures, well defined and perfectly aligned with the other model's head perhaps hinting at fellatio. 

But if you stand back from the detail and just look at the 'shapes' in these pictures, there's another much more subtle erotic message at work in the overall composition which everyone sees subconsciously, and yet without seeing it. The open legs of the models form a strong triangle, overtly suggesting masculinity and solidity of course, but also creating visually a sense of upwards 'thrust'. Placing a figure between the legs creates a dildo-like illusion with the other model's anus directly above at the apex of the triangle, rendered all the more 'vulnerable' by the open-legged stance.

By the time you've got this far, the shape of the beret on Fred's head (left) becomes almost indecent! You can read equally suggestive meanings into the horizontal lines of the sailors cap and his chunky build compared to Fred's more slender outline. I've no idea whether the photographer worked all this out, how much was intuitive, how much accidental, but I think it gives an understanding of how these photographs worked on their audience who were not distracted as we are by the barrage of internet imagery and had time to study the pictures and fantasise. 

This is why they still have the power to intrigue us today, if we take the time to look. 

Part 6

There's a better copy of picture 15 in an earlier article in this thread.

For earlier articles in this series click on the GIU/Royale label below

If anyone has better copies of these pictures which they are willing to share I would be very pleased to hear from them