The Vintage Male Physique

 I just bought a copy of the hard to find Bruce Bellas book, The Naked Heartland, published by Janssen Verlag in 2001.  It's a lovely book!  I was pleasantly surprised by how innocent but lovely and playful the black and white images are.  I believe they were taken mostly in the 1930's, though they could have been from the 1960's because they have a timeless quality to them.  One chapter is called Hotel Nebraska, another Back to the Coast.  Lots of outdoor shots as well as some more intimate hotel bedroom photos.  Here are a few tamer pictures.   Out in the woods.  Can you feel him almost staring through you?  Posed and reflecting, but those arms convey shyness and a sense of exposure. Inside and posing in some interesting underwear.  More casual feeling and the double shadows in the back make it more than just a young man exposed to a camera. The Naked Heartland:  The Itinerant Photography of Bruce of Los Angeles Publishe...