Walt Baptiste (1917-2001) went from bodybuilding to a professional practitioner of yoga for which he was widely known in San Francisco. Early photo from 1940-41.
Possibly Brownell of San Francisco, a photo studio active at the time in the 40’s that created portfolios for a few bodybuilders. Or a little known studio in Oakland, then the center of West Coast bodybuilding before Muscle Beach (where 5 Mr America’s worked out at Yarick’s Gym and bodybuilders strutted their stuff at Lake Merritt) ; or possibly Alameda, home to Washington Park that was like the Muscle Beach of the Bay Area of that time. The only physique photographers in the Bay Area were Denny Denfield, Dave Martin and Russ Warner and none of them were active in 1940-41. -Rj
Thanks! It has a quality to it that seems quite accomplished — worthy of Denfield, Martin, and Warner — so it would be interesting to know more about the photographer.
Walt Baptiste (1917-2001) went from bodybuilding to a professional practitioner of yoga for which he was widely known in San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteEarly photo from 1940-41.
Do you know who took the photo? I remember the date of the session as being early ‘40s, but I’ve forgotten (if I ever knew) the photographer.
DeletePossibly Brownell of San Francisco, a photo studio active at the time in the 40’s that created portfolios for a few bodybuilders.
DeleteOr a little known studio in Oakland, then the center of West Coast bodybuilding before Muscle Beach (where 5 Mr America’s worked out at Yarick’s Gym and bodybuilders strutted their stuff at Lake Merritt) ; or possibly Alameda, home to Washington Park that was like the Muscle Beach of the Bay Area of that time.
The only physique photographers in the Bay Area were Denny Denfield, Dave Martin and Russ Warner and none of them were active in 1940-41.
-Rj
Thanks! It has a quality to it that seems quite accomplished — worthy of Denfield, Martin, and Warner — so it would be interesting to know more about the photographer.
DeleteBel homme Baptiste posé dans le style d’Arax et Ferrero de France.
ReplyDeleteCe studio californien est très bien.
-Beau Mec