Way before Mapplethorpe was around and photographing provocative male-physique poses, there were a handful of photographers surreptitiously doing some rather stunning work. John Palatinus was one of them and back in the 1950’s his images of men posing in straps or nude were published in a few bodybuilding magazines such as Tomorrows Men which were very popular amongst gay men at the time.
Even though Palatinus was careful to ensure that his models were in non-sexual poses, in 1959 he was still investigated by the US Postal Serves and eventually charged wth sending explicit photos through the mail, which at that time was a criminal offense. After spending a night in jail and being found guilty, Palatinus was very shaken up, and he never took any more beefcake photos after that
Decades later and now living in Palm Springs he by chance came across an avid collector of his work, and actually started exhibiting some of his original work in 2009 which was greeted with critical acclaim and a great deal of enthusiasm. Palatinus died in 2014 at the age of 85.
The Physique Photography of John Palatinus edited by Alan Harmon and William Rietkerk 
is available at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore
Labels: 2016, culture, eye candy, photography, Turn Back Time
