For Sale: Physique Pictorial. Los Angeles: Athletic Model Guild, Vol. 7, No. 3. Fall 1957.

Description

Physique Pictorial, published by Bob Mizer’s “Athletic Model Guild” (AMG) in Los Angeles, was a groundbreaking male physique magazine that had a significant influence on gay culture, physique photography, and the development of male aesthetics in mid-20th-century America. Issues of this era (pre-1960) belong to the earlier and formative years of the magazine.

The 1950s were marked by strict obscenity laws, making Physique Pictorial one of the few legal outlets showcasing male nudity and muscle poses under the guise of promoting health and fitness. The Fall 1957 issue reflects this dual purpose of fitness promotion and subtle homoeroticism: “Beefcake” photography at its finest.

Though not openly stated, Physique Pictorial played a major role in post WWII gay culture.