Description:

[EARLY HOMOEROTIC PHOTOGRAPHY] A COLLECTION OF 1,740 ANTIQUE POSTCARDS OF STRONGMEN AND ATHLETES

an extensive collection of 1740 postcards (1718 black-and-white and 22 color) featuring rare collectible pictures of strongmen, athletes and sportsmen published on postcards (some inscribed by hand) and photographs; most printed in Russia in early 1900s

LOT NOTES
A unique collection of 1,740 photographs and postcards from turn of the twentieth century Russia, Europe, and America. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, strongmen were circus performers who exhibited extraordinary feats of strength, such as tearing chains and using teeth to lift rods with weights. Some names have gone down in history, such as Alexander Zass, who could lift a 400 kg horse with his bare hands, and Ivan Shemyakin, who used one hand to lift six assistants at once. This collection includes photographs of famous strongmen Georg Lurich, Pyotr Kryloff, George Hackenschmidt, among many others.
Oftentimes, strongmen sold photographs of themselves flexing and wrestling each other to make some extra money. Some posed nude and wore face masks while showing off their bare bodies covered only by a leaf, which suggests the covered-up exchange of homo-erotic materials. During this era, Russia had no active gay rights movement, so Russian homosexuality was visible only in literature and prostitution. It is probable that these photographs served multiple purposes, one of them being "eye-candy" for the male viewer. This collection is a combination of images that exhibit both the professional bodybuilder and the masculine icon, stripped down to show off physical perfection. Some strongmen, such as Eugene Sandow, gained fame for the beauty of their physique, inspiring others to achieve a perfectly toned figure and pose in photographs that could now reach mass audiences. Along with these significant implications, the photos provide valuable historical information on who these performers were, where they worked, and what was considered to be the standard of male beauty at the time.

CONDITION
N.B. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

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Shipping

• All items must be paid for before they can be released.
• For shipments to domestic and international locations, while we do not ship directly, we can recommend some shippers who are local to us, and can pick-up your items from our office with your authorization. Please see a list of recommended shippers below. Clients are free to choose their own shippers, and these recommendations are provided only for convenience. We will not accept liability for any recommendations of shippers.
• The purchaser is responsible for insuring his or her items in transit. Once items have been picked-up or released to a shipper, they are no longer covered under our insurance.
• Payment for shipment and arrangements for shipment, must be made with the shipper directly.
• Once you have made arrangement with a shipper, please email or fax us authorizing us to release your property to that person or company.

For regular shipments:
1. ASAP ETC INC (John or Dennis): +1 (914) 381-6421, email: [email protected]
2. PDQ Mail Plus Inc., (Helen or Bud): +1 (914)833-1133
3. The UPS Store NYC (Waldo or Daniel), Tel. +1 (212) 920-6521, email: [email protected]
4. Lex Pack and Ship (Bob or Irma), Tel. +1 (212) 288-4425, email: [email protected]
5. ArtFira Shipping (Alex), Tel. +1 (917) 573-5688 (can also assist with shipments to Russia/Ukraine, etc., including crates),
email: [email protected]
6. Max Art International LLC, (Darius) Tel. +1 (917) 502-8731, email: [email protected] (Can also assist with shipments to
Russia/CIS, including crates).
7. Global Transit Group (Rostislav), Tel. +1 (718) 449-1971, email: [email protected] (Can also assist with shipments to
Russia/CIS, including crates).

For larger items, art shuttles, and anything requiring wooden crates or specialized art transport
1. Atelier 4: +1 (718) 433-3500, email: [email protected]
2. Cadogan Tate Fine Art: +1 (718) 706-7999, email: [email protected]
3. James Bourlet, Inc: +1 (718) 392-9770, email: [email protected]
4. Thomas Sullivan Transportation Management Inc.: +1 (718) 822-4169, email: [email protected]

For local van and truck deliveries in New York City, New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Florida Shuttles
1. ASAP ETC INC (John or Dennis): +1 (914) 381-6421 email: [email protected]
2. Crossroads Delivery (Arthur): +1 (917) 807-3758, email: [email protected]
3. ArtWay Fine Art Services (Lenny): +1 (718) 213-6886 email: [email protected]
Clients are free to choose their own shippers. We are not liable for the actions of any outside shippers and these recommendations are provided only for convenience.

To pick-up your items in person
Please call us at +1 (212) 717-7500 to make an appointment to pick up your items in person. If someone else whose name is not on the invoice will be picking up on your behalf, please email or fax us authorizing us to release your property to that person. Payment for all items must have been received and cleared, before merchandise can be released.

July 25, 2020 10:00 AM EDT
Bedford Hills, NY, US

Shapiro Auctions LLC

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