 Physique Pictorial, volume 5 number 2, Summer 1955 | |
| Editor | Bob Mizer |
|---|---|
| Categories | Beefcake, erotica |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Format | Digest |
| Publisher | Athletic Model Guild |
| First issue | 1951 |
| Final issue | 1990 |
| Based in | Los Angeles |
| Language | English |
| OCLC | 643902464 |
Physique Pictorial is an American magazine, one of the leading beefcake magazines of the mid-20th century.[1][2] During its run from 1951 to 1990 as a quarterly publication, it exemplified the use of bodybuilding culture and classical art figure posing, as a cover for homoerotic male images, and to evade charges of obscenity.
The pages of Physique Pictorial primarily featured the photography of Bob Mizer, who also served as the magazine’s publisher and editor, consisting of black and white photos of athletic young men, either nude or nearly so.[3] The magazine also served as a venue for homoerotic artists including Touko Laaksonen (Tom of Finland), George Quaintance, Dom Orejudos (Etienne), Bill Schmeling (Torro, The Hun),[4][5][6] and Mike Miksche (Steve Masters),[7] and was a predecessor to later overtly gay publications.[8][9]
Physique Pictorial was published in Los Angeles by Mizer's Athletic Model Guild, an ersatz modeling agency that provided cover for the publishing of the magazine, and the sale of photographs and film strips through the magazine.[10]
- ^ "A Look Back at the Glorious Beefcake Magazine That Inspired David Hockney". W Magazine | Women's Fashion & Celebrity News. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "A (Long) History of Physique Magazines". QNotes. 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Encyclopedia of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history in America. Stein, Marc. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons/Thomson/Gale. 2004. pp. 272–273. ISBN 0-684-31261-1. OCLC 52819577.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Leofstreom, Jan (2014-02-04). Scandinavian Homosexualities: Essays on Gay and Lesbian Studies. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-95757-7.
- ^ Prono, Luca (2008). Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Popular Culture. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-33599-0.
- ^ Daniels, Champ (2022-05-12). ""AllTogether" | Sultan, The Hun and Victor Arimondi". Tom of Finland Foundation. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ "Student Perspective: Noah Barth, class of 2017" (PDF). DePaul American Studies (AMS) Newsletter. DePaul University. April 2017. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ "Physique mags helped usher in the gay market". The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "How Bob Mizer's 'Physique Pictorial' Pioneered Modern Gay Erotica". www.out.com. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Johnson, David K. (2019). Buying gay : how physique entrepreneurs sparked a movement. New York. ISBN 978-0-231-18910-1. OCLC 1035441993.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)