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Physique
by Vince Aletti
Publishing Details
Publisher:MACK/SPBH
Publication Date:April 2025
ISBN:978-1-917651-05-9
Format:Embossed flexibound
Dimensions:25 x 30 cm
Pages:224 pages
Library Edition:Regular & Special Edition
Condition:Both copies inscribed and dated, NYC
About This Book
Physique showcases over 250 rare physique photography prints from the private collection of renowned critic and curator Vince Aletti. Spanning the 1930s to the early 1960s, these photographs chronicle a hidden, coded world of homoerotic imagery. Once sold discreetly through mail-order catalogues and underground physique magazines, the prints point to an emergent queer sensibility and visibility.
Accompanying this visual archive is a personal essay by Aletti which traces the historical and political significance of these images, firmly establishing their place in the canon of photography. He celebrates the artistry of the photographers, models, and studios that brought the photographs to life. Physique reveals a forgotten chapter of American gay culture in which photographic prints served as a lifeline, connecting a community of men under threat while also providing solace, pleasure, and empowerment amid oppression.
Other Books by Vince Aletti in Our Collection

The Drawer
Self Publish, Be Happy, 2022
Visual diary of ephemera and tearsheets from Aletti's collection

Male: From the Collection of Vince Aletti
PPP Editions, 2010
Photography celebrating the male form across decades

Issues: A History of Photography in Fashion Magazines
Phaidon, 2019
Chronicle of fashion photography through magazine history

The Disco Files 1973-78
DJhistory.com, 2009
Week-by-week chronicle of NYC's underground disco scene
Library Information
Location:Hudson Street Library, NYC
Classification:Photography; Individual Photographers; General Monographs
Acquisition:Recently acquired (2025)