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Original and Rare Vintage 1950s Male Nude From the collection of Dave Martin SF

About the Item

We had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Dave Martin at his San Francisco apartment in the early 2000s. We had been collecting original male physique photography for decades, and found out about Mr. Martin’s amazing work after a coffee table book came out with his personal photography collection that finally allowed him the fame and accolades of his amazing body of work. Mr. Martin was a charming man with the most amazing and interesting stories, and we spent an entire afternoon with him. We got along so well, we ended up taking him to lunch, not knowing if we were going to be able to buy any of his work, surprisingly, after we went back to his apartment, and he offered many of his personal favorites to us all printed by Mr. Martin himself. The photographs had handwritten notes of photographs with details about their sports and interest. Mr. Martin was not only amazingly talented, he was a pioneer, that enabled future photographers decades after to continue this genre of photography which will always have it’s place in American History. He and others went through harassment, arrests, and even physical harm to produce and sell their photos. We hope you like these rare, original handprinted collectible photographs that are a part of the history of male physique photography by one of the pioneers that inspired, so many to this day. This is the first time these photographs have been offered for sale. 8 x 10 handprinted B & W photograph by Mr. Martin himself. Photograph printed and Matt paper with a 11 x 14 white acid free matt. Ready for framing. Please inquire if you would like image framed for gift giving. Model: the very handsome Craig Cunningham photographed in 1960. BIO: DAVE MARTIN Martin opened his studio in San Francisco in 1951. In the 1940s he met Lon Hannigan of New York who was at the time acknowledge to be the best photographer of the male male form in the United States. Determined to develop his own portfolio of physique photographs of young men, Martin became a self taught photographer of renown. he controlled all aspects of his photography, posing his models, processing film, and doing his own dark room printing. Martin’s photographs are young men, indoors and out, including bodybuilders, many college athletes, military, and law-enforcement men. He refers to his photography genre in a published book as male physique photography, tracing the history of the genre back to the 20s 30s 40s and the largest period of photography 1950s.
  • Creator:
    David Martin (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11 in (27.94 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)
  • Style:
    Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1960
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Palm Springs, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 0524151stDibs: LU1767239898172

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