Guys In Uniform Studio (Updated 14th June)

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Article Incomplete

 

1. Guys In Uniform - Sailor in the Rigging

 

Guys in Uniform Studio set up in the mid 1970s, producing sexy pictures with a strong flavour of military discipline. 

 

It was much inspired by the example set by Royale Studio in the late 1950s, and the personnel involved reputedly had connections of some sort with Basil Clavering's set-up. The photo above directly references the 'Sailor in the Rigging' images of Royale Studio and Hussar. 

 

 

2. Guys In Uniform - Double Discipline

 Guys In Uniform created many Gym Discipline scenarios which also mirrored Royale storyettes, but without the gym horse, which had provided both context and a handy platform for punishment in the earlier images. 

 

 

3. Royale Studio - 'Through the Legs' pose from 'Soldier-Sailor'

 

Other images copy the striking 'through the legs' poses which were a feature of Royale's work (notably Soldier-Sailor). I tend to think Royale derived them from cinema, 'film noir' advertising. See 'Military Intimidation' for an excellent, Guys In Uniform example. 

 

 

4. Guys In Uniform - Caning by Numbers, 'Dunces'

The creation of Royale-inspired imagery seems to have peaked with a set (which I have called 'Caning By Numbers' since GIU don't seem to have given them names). Although their imagery is new, it seems to closely copy the Royale Storyette 'Tough Schoolmaster', notably including the use of archaic dunces caps. At the time of writing, I am still drafting 'Tough Schoolmaster' and heavily revising my article about the 'Caning by Numbers' set to cross-reference the similarities. (This link presently takes you to the old article, but will be updated).

  

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The pictures of both studios pushed at the boundaries of acceptability for their respective times. Royale's beefcake images flirted with homosexual innuendo and sadism, which was strictly taboo in the 1950s Britain. By the late 70s, when Guys in Uniform was formed, gay lifestyle magazines were commonplace and even frontal nudes were permissible (if flaccid). However, the combination of nudity and discipline scenarios' was still highly controversial and problematic.

 

5. Guys In Uniform - Double Discipline

 This image is similar to Royale discipline scenarios, but they did not show their subjects undressed like this.

 

 

6. Guys In Uniform - The Investigation

Both Studios openly used genuine servicemen as models, particularly Royal Guardsmen (sometimes in authentic uniforms). This shocked the establishment and provoked police raids to seize their material. In Royale's day, anything to do with homosexuality was hushed up by the press, but in the case of Guys in Uniform there was a full-blown public scandal when a tabloid 'exposed' that real Guardsmen were posing for nude photographs in homosexual magazines. The specific images concerned were those of the 'Caning by Numbers' series, image 4, above.

  

 

7. Guys In Uniform - The Harness

Guys in Uniform did venture into one area where Royale and Hussar had not dared - Leather and Rubber fetish. The leather harness/apron shown in the picture above was part of a provocative (for its time) exploration of leather and rubber fetish. It was a subject which formed a major part of Guys in Uniform's output and they developed the visual language of domination and submission in a way that goes far beyond what Royale did, a contribution to the leather fetish scene that is probably more significant than it is given credit for.

 

 

8. Royale Studio - Man wearing a Leather Harness

 

Recently, a solitary image has come to light suggesting Royale had a similar harness (above), but if they did, images of it were never published at the time. This photo formed part of the Bonham's sale of photographs by Basil Clavering in 2021 which I have identified* as being part or all of the British Photographers Collection, sometimes known as the Originals (*see postscript in the Royale Numbers article). However, this collection also included pictures from 'Guys in Uniform' (see preceding paragraph in that Numbers article) so the attribution of this image to Basil Clavering by Bonhams was probably a simple mistake.

 

Interestingly, the saleroom stated in their prospectus that the collection of hundreds of Royale Studio images had been "acquired by the present owner in Notting Hill in the 1980s, from a fan of Studio Royale (sic) who had tried unsuccessfully to mimic its success". This latter reference sounds very much like the 'Guys in Uniform' producer.

 

Royale did publish a series of fetishistic images with models wearing pouches made from chains, but the Dolphin/Hussar set 'Leather Merchants' seems to be the limit of their ventures into the leather scene.

 

9. Dolphin Photography - Leather Merchants

More details pending

 

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The Guys in Uniform Business

 

Ever since the release of the British Photographers' collection of Royale Studio and Guys in Uniform images, (Source 1) this Studio has suffered from being called 'Men in Uniform' in some quarters. However, it always used the 'Guys in Uniform' label in its short existence, as shown in the image below and image 2, above. There was never a Studio called 'Men In Uniform'  

 

This misconception seems to have originated from the publication of the British Photographer's collection, since the originator gave some of his scans titles beginning with MIU. An interesting, 2002 article by Squaddie John about the history and the connections between the two studios gives an account of how this came about. Formerly published at 'Milism' (now defunct), I have been given permission by the author to reproduce it at mitchmen - read the 'Milism' article. 

 

 

10. Ad for Guys In Uniform in 'Him Exclusive' Sept 1975

 

Strictly speaking, 'Guys in Uniform' was a product of 'Studio 57', run by Charles Koestler and based in Linden Gardens, Notting Hill. Some of their advertisements showed this link. This ad also shows they were using the same marketing technique as Royale - 'selection' sheets from which clients could choose which prints they wanted to buy.

 

In a different ad, GIU announced that they had compiled two selection sheets as an easy way to order, emulating the Royale catalogues. It was a sales methodology that was becoming outdated by then and none of these selection sheets seem to have survived. It's not known if they were able to secure an income stream from them.

 

N.B. This advertisement was originally published in black and white, I have added the colour using AI.

 

 

11. Guys in Uniform Feature in 'Q International' v1 No3 (1976)

 

Like Royale and Hussar, Guys in Uniform supplied their images to the Gay Magazines of their time - 'Q International', 'Him', 'Playguy' and 'Zipper'. We know that 'Him' paid for them and provided free advertising (from Daily Mirror 20/10/75). Many of the illustrations were printed in colour, which was not affordable in the 1960s for Royale. Unlike Royale, they don't seem to have reached out to US magazines, a link-up with 'Drummer' might have transformed the business. 

 

12. Guys In Uniform - Cover of Uniform Magazine, Issue 2

 

Guys in Uniform also published 3 issues of their own glossy 'Uniform Magazine' (above). Surprisingly, though, it only carried black and white photos, although the ad above (image 10) makes it clear that they were selling colour prints.

 

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More to come

How it ended 

watch this space! 

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View the mitchmen review of Guys in Uniform pictures in 13+ Parts