Bob Mizer: Physique Pictorial

Source: Bob Mizer Foundation

Gareth Johnson is a writer who I enjoy following on Medium for many reasons. This past week on Medium he had an article entitled, Physique Pictorial continues to fuel our fantasies. The article introduced me to Los Angeles-based photographer, Bob Mizer, who first published in 1951 an all-nude, male magazine; pretty ballsy considering the times. Over the course of his career he would end up photographing thousands of men from a variety of walks of life.

Johnson says in his article that it was Physique Pictorial that first printed the drawings of Touko Laaksone (better known as Tom of Finland) and, which helped launch his career. Mizer passed away in the early 1990s but you can read the full article from Johnson about the man and the magazine on Medium.

You can see a lot more of his work in an article from The Advocate last spring:

90 Photos to Celebrate the Return of Physique Pictorial