George Hackenschmidt, Bodybuilder
George Hackenschmidt, author of the 1908 bodybuilding guide “The Way To Live” is best known for having invented the hack squat and bench press.
Category: pre-30s
The history of gay porn before 1930
The Sandow System
Along with many other elements of physical culture, Eugen Sandow was one of the first bodybuilders to publish a regular magazine exploring various exercise techniques.
Ernest Candine
Ernest Cadine, French weightlifter who won a gold medal at the 1920 Olympics posing in 1921-1923 Agence photographique Rol, Paris.
George Hackenschmidt: Wrestler
From 1900-1908 George Hackenschmidt dominated the newborn sport of professional wrestling. He wrestled in over 3000 recorded matches with only 2 losses.
The Gospel of Strength
Illustrations from The Gospel of Strength by Eugen Sandow featuring Sandow’s circus performer outfit.
Strength and How to Obtain It
“Strength and How to Obtain It” by Eugen Sandow, 1879. This autographed mini-book from the 1870s could be purchased as a take home from Sandow’s Zigfield show.
Eugen Sandow: the original flex reel
Eugen Sandow was one of the originators of the idea of bodybuilding driven by aesthetics instead of the sheer desire for strength. He’s best known for being the very first bodybuilder to shoot a flex reel in 1894 for the Edison company.
Georg Lurich
Georg Lurich was a dominant wrestler and grappler from Reval, Estonia (then in the Russian Empire) around the turn of the 20th century. He remains Estonia’s national wrestling hero to this day.
Rudolph Valentino on “How to Keep Fit”
Rudolph Valentino was the ultimate silent movie era sex symbol, so when he published an 81 page picture book on “how to keep fit” in 1924, the audience snatched it up.
Allister Crowley quests for Sacred Sodomy
Allister Crowley took his acolyte to ALGERIA where von Gloeden escaped to in order to “open his third eye with his magical wand” and they came back lovers.