Vintage Male Physique Nude Original Photograph by Dave Martin of San Francisco

An original iconic male physique photograph by legendary photographer Bruce Bellas aka Bruce of Los Angeles. Our collection (soon to be available on separate listings are all original (not copied from negative). This iconic image with a beach ball was one of the props that became synonymous with a Bruce Bellas photograph. Printed in the 1950s, the stamped images were printed when he was alive. They are the rare, sought after photographs prized by collectors of the genre. 8x 10 photograph, white matt, beautifully framed in classic black. Bio: An icon of gay art and one of the most famous names in physique photography, Bruce Bellas is remembered today as a pioneer of beefcake. Beginning in the 1940s and continuing until his death in 1974, Bellas photographed some of the most important figures in the world of physical culture; bodybuilders Steve Reeves, Bob McCune, and George Eiferman, and models Joe Dallesandro, Mark Nixon, and Brian Idol...

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...

From an important 25 plus year collection of male physique and beefcake, printed in the 1960s, signed by the studio when Mr. Bruce Bellas aka Bruce of LA...

From an important 25 plus year collection of Male Physique and Beefcake photography, image # 7 of handsome male model Bill Gregory. Printed in the 1960s ...

Artist: Greg Gorman (American, b. 1949) Title: Rex and Gregory, 1988 Gelatin silver print Image size: 18.75 x 14.75 inches Paper size: 19.75 x 15.875 inches Frame size: 24.8 x 1...

ABOUT Comparison aerial photographs of San Francisco printed on glossy fine art paper. The first image is an aerial shot of the city taken in 1981 by an unknown photographer. It depicts the harbor and downtown all the way out to Ocean Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge. The second image is taken from the same vantage point. It is stamped, ‘Photograph of San Francisco is ruins from Lawrence Captive Airship 2000 feet above San Francisco Bay. Overlooking waterfront, sunset over Golden Gate.’ There is also a copyright stamp for George R Lawrence. Lawrence used an aerial kite to photograph San Francisco after the devastating 1906 earthquake. His photographs appeared in newspapers around the world and generated more than $15,000 for the photographer. CREATOR Unknown and George R. Lawrence and Co. DATE OF MANUFACTURE 1906 and 1981. MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Photograph on glossy fine art paper. CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use. DIMENSIONS Sheet: H 21.5 in. x W 23.5 in., Image: H 16 in. W 18.5 in. HISTORY George R. Lawrence (1868-1938) After working briefly at a Chicago wagon factory in 1889, George Lawrence opened a studio for the production of crayon enlargements — large photographs, usually portraits, that have been enhanced by pastels or charcoal. Crayon enlargements were popular wall decorations in the late 1800s. In 1893, Lawrence's studio partner left Chicago permanently. Lawrence inherited the equipment and learned to develop negatives from a local photographer's apprentice. He formed the Geo. R. Lawrence Company and quickly became an innovator in the field, using the slogan "The Hitherto Impossible in Photography is Our Specialty." Lawrence designed his own large-format cameras and specialized in aerial views. He began by using ladders...

This original black and white photograph of one of Richmond Barthé's rare, little-known sculptures was taken by the famous studio of Morgan and Marvin Smith, who located on West 125th Street next to the renowned Apollo Theater. The Smith brothers moved from their native Kentucky to New York in the early 1930s, and proceeded to establish a studio that brought together almost every major figure in the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, mentoring artists such as Jacob Lawrence, Gwendolyn Knight, Selma Burke, Ernest Crichlow and Robert Blackburn. The Smiths captured the night life of Harlem, including musicians and actors such as Harry Belafonte, Sydney Poitier, Eartha Kitt, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Count Basie, Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, Hattie McDaniels, Zora Neal Hurston, Step n' Fetchit, Pearl...

Wonderful photograph of a female nude in a rocky landscape Limited edition of 45. This is number 4 Signed. Photographer unknown Original frame. Not protected by glass The measure...