Ian McAllister profile added to the model index.

 Ian McAllister, the elusive star of two important Royale Storyettes

Ian McAllister starred in 'The Wallet' (opposite leather fan, Ron Fenn) and 'The Teddy Boy and The Sailor ' (with muscular Stanley Free) but not very much is known about him. He has now been added to the Royale Model Index in the right sidebar with background and onward links to his performances. 

Posting of 'The Wallet' - now 18 images, Sat 29th

Follow the posting of Royale's shocking storyette
about a bar room encounter

3 more images added today - link below 

Royale Studio - The Wallet 03 (colourised by mitchmen)

 

After the marathon posting of 'Leather Merchants' and it's stars, and a short break to recuperate, I have started posting 'The Wallet' which is the earliest Royale story with a coherent, dramatic plot line. It's come down to us complete and though the images are not of the finest quality, most of them have scrubbed up well and they repay study. As you can see, I have experimented with colourising them, but will make a separate announcement about that later.

'The Wallet' stars Ron Fenn (aka the Tough Schoolmaster) and Ian McAllister (from TEDS) and, as you might guess from the picture above, it's about a pickpocket, but there's a surprising, not to say shocking outcome. There's a hidden subtext that makes it one of Clavering's more political statements about the plight of gay men in 50s Britain.

McAllister's pose in the picture above (right) might remind you of a well-known image of a sailor by Lüger (aka Colt) and I cover that link in the gallery article.

Read 'The Wallet' profile page for the background

Go direct to the Gallery article 

Don Avard - Biographical Notes (updated)

The story of a young man's involvement with the 1950's beefcake photography scene 

Updated, Aug 2026 with various corrections and clarifications.

Don's Background 

Don Avard by Royale (Detail)

  

Don Avard was British by birth, but his globe-trotting family had connections with South Africa and Australia, where his father had a cattle ranch by the 50's. He had a career in the Royal Navy (for 6 years according to Barrington - see Ad below) and took up boxing while serving, winning the (RN) Far East Middleweight title and ending up as an instructor. 

He was one of several Royale models who represented Chatham Dockyard in the June 1957 Gun Race at the Royal Tournament in London. It's conceivable that this is how he met Basil Clavering. There's a video of the 1957 event on YouTube but, unfortunately it's not possible to identify the team members.

 

Don Avard in RN Uniform

  This is how Don would have dressed for the 'Gun Race'. There aren't any more images of him like this, but I believe he wore this kit in some wrestling duos for Royale (see his profile page)

 

This picture of Don in British Navy uniform appeared in an article about his background in 'Adonis' in May 1958 (more on this below). 

Don and John Barrington 

 John Barrington (a physique photographer and acquaintance of Basil Clavering) recalls how, in August 1957, he met a 'half naked' Don Avard while out walking with his wife and children on the banks of the Thames at Richmond and 'adopted' him for the day. He was thrilled with the young man's physique and credentials as a sporty, half-Australian, seaman. In his biography, 'Physique', (Source 101) he recalls how they arranged to meet up again for a photographic session at which point Barrington proposed an 'extra dimension' to their friendship, as he usually did with the men he photographed. 

 

Don Avard by John Barrington (Paignton)

Apparently Avard was reluctant, revealing he had other good friends who kept him in pocket money. Nevertheless, he did go before the camera and a photograph of him in a mock studious pose (above) duly appeared in the November issue of Barrington's own beefcake magazine, Man-ifique No 6 (Nov 1957).  

Ad offering Photos of Don Avard 
in Barrington's 'MAN-ifique' No 6

 Opposite the image was this ad, offering "unusual and exciting" prints of Don and describing him as a "natural", these were all euphemisms for nudity. 

 

Don and Basil Clavering

It appears that one of Avard's other generous supporters might have included Basil Clavering because his own pictures of Avard for Royale appeared almost simultaneously in December. It's possible that Barrington passed Don onto him, the two photographers had known each other for 5 years at that point, ever since collaborating on 'Under the Lash', and they shared models more than once. 

Remarkably, an almost identical pose of Don was later published in Man-ifique 9, but attributed to Royale, which makes you wonder just how much Barrington and Clavering might have collaborated in his case. The Royale sets featuring Yves Grangeat were almost certainly shot by Barrington.

 

Royale Studio Ad in Man's World (Dec '57)

 Clavering was equally enthusiastic about their young protégé, putting Don's image at the top of Royale's first advertisement in Man's World, Dec 1957, describing him as a "young boxer from the Royal Navy". Intriguingly, he later amended 'young' to 'tough'. Barrington featured one of the Royale pictures of him on the front page of his February 1958 issue of MAN-ifique (No 7). He also added Royale to his list of 'reputable photographers' in the same issue.  

Don Becomes a 'Star' 

 Don continued to be prominently featured in Royale's advertising with a dedicated ad in 'Tomorrow's Man' in April 1958, Royale added some 'storyettes' to his CV, but few details about them have survived. May 1958 was probably the height of his beefcake fame. He was awarded the unprecedented accolade of a seven-page article in 'Adonis' magazine. It described his background and interests, as if he were a pop star. That article is the source of most of the information about his background at the top of this article. It has all the hallmarks of being written by Basil Clavering, himself, whose Cinema Manager background gave him a flair for marketing.

 

Adonis (May '58) Article about Don Avard

A section of the Adonis article briefly mentions Don's sporting interests, then reveals that he had a job at Mount Pleasant Post Office. At the time this was well-known as a key sorting office for the Royal Mail, its modern technology was often featured in mini-documentaries. It would have handled both Clavering and Barrington's mail outs. Don's background in the Royal Navy would have given him the necessary security clearance for such a job. It seems to imply he planned to settle in London.

 

Adonis (May '58) Article about Don Avard

The Adonis article goes on to show him relaxing 'at home', Noel Coward fashion, in a dressing gown. 'Home' appears to have been a sumptuous residence, luxuriously furnished, with extravagances like a grand piano and candelabras dotted around.

 It seems entirely plausible that this is Basil Clavering's own home in Denbigh St. Apart from the wealth and tastes on display, the double window seen in the background of the bottom image broadly tallies with the outside view of Clavering's house, assuming the sitting room was on the first floor and occupying the whole width of the building. 

 In 1959, according to the Electoral Register, Don was actually resident in Clavering's house in Denbigh St. This may have simply been an arrangement to enable him to get his job with the Post Office. However, it seems to have become more than that, because an article in Tomorrow's Man in October 1959 stated that Don was now 'part of the (Royale) firm'. In what capacity is not known, but in April 1959, Barrington had removed Royale from his List of Reputable Photographers without explanation. He did, however, include his own pictures of Don in the same issue. 

Don's Adventure Comes To An End 

After Don's initial launch, there doesn't seem to have been another Royale shoot and publishers interest in him gradually petered out. Barrington continued to publish pictures of Don in the years that followed, but they appear to come from his original shoot. In his model catalogue, he gushed about how good a friend Don was, the kind 'one can never tire of'. However, in 1962 Barrington had to reveal to his readers (in the Autumn issue of MAN-ifique) that Don was back in Australia. In fact, he had emigrated early in 1960, humbly describing his profession then as a 'clerk'.

In the mid-70s Barrington was finally able to openly publish his nude photographs of Don Avard in 'Man to Man', Vol 1 No 1. 

Footnote 

An interesting footnote to this story came in 1995 when an Australian tourist named Don Avard came upon the scene of a tragic accident on the M4 motorway. A coach carrying pensioners had struck some debris and careered off the carriageway resulting in the death of 10 of the passengers and injury to 20 others. Mr Avard told the press that he too had hit debris and had to avoid wooden pallets scattered on the road, believed to have been shed accidentally by a lorry. 

It was reported that Mr Avard was 59 and an Ex-Londoner who now lived in Adelaide, Australia. He was staying in Warminster, Wiltshire and heading towards Bath at the time of the accident. He was further described as a property developer who formerly lived in the Kings Cross area of London. 

I have no idea if this man was the Royale model of the same name, but the age he gave, 59, meant he would have been 21 in 1957, the same age that Barrington quoted in his first advertisement (see above). The Australian connection fits and Kings Cross is about a mile from Mount Pleasant, where Don was believed to have worked. 

The Warminster connection with this Don Avard is also intriguing, it's a UK Army garrison town, not far from Salisbury Plain, a major Army training area. It's an interesting, old town, but not on the tourist map. A place where someone might go to stay because they knew someone who lived there. It's a long way from the sea, so not a Navy town, but Royale's model roster was full of military men of all three services. Don might easily have befriended one of them. 

If I was being mischievous, I might also observe that Brian Lamprill, who was also modelling for Royale in 1958, ended up in Australia too.

I guess we'll never know! 

Timeline - Royale, Hussar and Dolphin Studios - Major Update, v21 July 2026

The History of Royale Studio and it's successor, Hussar 1957-1968 

Basil Clavering's Royale Studio revolutionised the world of UK physique photography, riding a wave of gay optimism following the publication of the Wolfenden report on homosexual law reform in Autumn 1957. He and his collaborator, John C. Parkhurst produced a series of startlingly lit, original images which artistically portrayed men as sensual beings, not just athletes who only undressed to show off their muscle development. 

He also produced suggestive, photo sets which he called 'storyettes'. It's these that have proved to be his enduring legacy for gay men. The best of them were cinematic in style, set in the real world of woodland and parks, escaping the closet of the studio. They daringly depicted men interacting together, partially dressed in extremely tight, contemporary clothing, rejecting the traditional disguise of classical times. These days they are best known for their military and disciplinary themes, but also included sportsmen and bikers, all bullying each other, fighting, undressing and swapping clothes with occasional instances of bondage.  

Depictions of homosexual relationships was forbidden in the UK in the1950s, but these scenarios had an inherently homoerotic slant and some featured buddy situations that veered close to showing true intimacy. Nearly all the storyettes had individual images that were carefully staged with clever positioning of the models to suggest a sexual interaction that didn't physically exist.

In its brief existence, Royale created a fantasy world that acknowledged the secret desires of British gay men for the first time and gave them hope for a better future. This article charts the course of that all too short experiment, year by year. 

Pre 1957

Basil Clavering's Background

Basil Clavering, the founder of Royale Studio, reputedly started doing physique photography as a hobby in London in the early 1950s (ref 5, Colville). An article about him in Tomorrow's Man in October 1959 said it was 'about 10 years ago'. 

 

During this period, he also commissioned the colourful, British physique photographer, John S. Barrington, to help him complete a long-standing project, 'Under The Lash', which was a history of  Corporal Punishment in the British Army and Navy. Clavering's interest in this subject would eventually become a controversial ingredient of his physique photography for Royale Studio. 

 

Barrington's biographer describes Clavering as being a pornographer, (Source 101), but although it's likely that he took nude photographs as part of his hobby, I have yet to see any published images that warrant this description. 

He is first recorded as living at 110, Denbigh St, Pimlico, the address which was to become the home of Royale Studio, in the 1956 Electoral Register, a year before the Royale experiment began.

1957

Royale Studio advertisement in Vim Vol 5 No 11 (Nov 1958)

 

57.1 Royale's Launch

Clavering teamed up with a friend from the navy, John Parkhurst, to set up Royale Studio. It seems to have officially come into being around the autumn of 1957, but without any formal fanfare as far as I've been able to discover. The advertisement above, noting their first anniversary a year later, is the nearest to an explicit date that I've been able to find. They already had an astonishing one hundred models on their roster by then, including the young Tibor Urgay, shown in the ad. It's possible the early lists may have included models from Clavering's pre-Royale work.

 

This picture of Artur Robin and George (Charles) Kassapian is earliest Royale picture I have found. It's from the Autumn 1957 issue of Male Classics and attributed to Royale Photography which would later become Royale Studio.

These models were genuine body builders of the day, based in France. Arturo Robin won Mr Universe in 1957 and Kassapian represented France in the same contest. Arturo here is standing on a platform, shaped like a half roundel. This was to become a standard Royale 'prop' and implies that the photograph was taken in Royale's London studio. Both men had solo photo sets in Royale's earliest catalogue. They followed the established beefcake formula, but the dual image above with overlapping poses hints at Royale's intention to depict relationships between men.  Their posing pouches appear to have been sanitised for publication.


An analysis of the 1960, Royale Catalogue comes up with the same date, October 1957, for the publication of the Studio's first list of photo sets for sale. View the Table of Catalogue List Dates.

 

57.2 Royale's First Advertisements

Man's World Dec 1957, Royale's First Ad

This is the earliest example I have found of Royale advertising, in the December 1957 issue of Man's World. Two of the models, David Wales and Michael Babin, shared a page in the body of the magazine, but I have found out little else about them. Don Avard, who headed up the ad was Royale's first homegrown 'star', but he didn't get a feature in a magazine until the following March (see below).

Notice that Royale was already pushing the military and sporting pedigree of its models in this advertisement, these manly stereotypes would underpin the studio's work.

(see also Royale's use of Serving Soldiers and Sailors).

57.3 Clavering's Contacts

The reference to collaborating with Landseer Studios in the heading of this first advertisement is extraordinary. This was the home of a highly respectable artist, Hans Feibusch, and the location has an illustrious, artistic pedigree stretching back to Edwin Landseer. We can only guess what form the collaboration took, most likely the provision of photographic equipment or facilities, I imagine, arranged through a personal contact of Basil's.

1958

58.1 About 110, Denbigh St

For the whole of its existence, Royale's mailing address was given as 110, Denbigh St in Pimlico. Basil Clavering was registered as living there from 1956 to 1966, which neatly brackets the Royale era. It seems remarkable that he should use his home address for a semi-illicit venture like this.

It's often said that Basil Clavering set up his studio in the basement and this seems to be confirmed in the Basil at work article. However, the story that the garden was used for outside shots in storyettes like 'Escape' and 'Unapproved School' probably isn't true, No 110 doesn't have a garden spacious enough.

More on Denbigh St and the Garden pictures

58.2 Don Avard

Don Avard by Royale Studio 1958

Three months after Royale's first advertisements, this picture of Don Avard hit the front cover of 'John Barrington's 'Manifique' (above) with Don perched on top of Royale's trademark half-roundel prop and completely naked. This image was quite unlike normal beefcake, physique photography, it gave a hint of the radically different approach of the new studio. A more discreet picture of Don, clad in swimming trunks, appeared on the cover of Tomorrow's Man' in March 1958.

 

Don had also posed for John Barrington and become friends with him. In fact, Barrington became somewhat obsessed with Avard after meeting him in the street (or sunbathing on the banks of the Thames according to which of his accounts you believe). He enthused about his personality in print and was still printing pictures of him in Manifique in 1965, describing him as a "very good" friend (his emphasis not mine). Don was back in Australia by then.

Don was recorded as living at Clavering's Denbigh Street address in 1959 having registered for voting there, which suggests a lengthy stay was intended. He wasn't registered there the following year but that doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't living there. Tomorrow's Man reported in Oct 1959 that he was "a member of the firm" (i.e. the Royale Studio set-up, not the Royal Family!).  

More in Don Avard, biographical notes

Don's friendship with Barrington may have helped Royale to get front page billing in 'Manifique', but Clavering and Barrington had already been acquainted for some years, since collaborating on 'Under The Lash'. They subsequently shared other models - Yves Grangeat and Tibor Noszgay (according to Source 101). 

 

Barrington added Royale to his somewhat pompously titled list of 'Photographers of Repute' in the same Spring issue of 'Manifique' and described Clavering as a 'celebrated, master photographer'. However the Studio was removed exactly a year later (without explanation) and few of their photos were published by him after that. 

 

Two years later, the 'Manifique', Spring 1961 issue did carry a half page ad for the new 'Dolphin Photography' offshoot of Royale, promoting their offering of the 'Thieving Cowboy' story drawn by Tom of Finland (see 60.8 below). This suggests Barrington may have taken sides in that episode. 

58.3

Royale Ad in Tomorrow's Man Vol 6 No3 1958

The advert above appeared in the March 1958 issue of Tomorrow's Man (Vol 6 No 3). It featured a half-naked basketball or soccer player. I can't definitively identify him, but it looks like Ian Oliver. There's a hint here of Royale's different, clothes-based approach to physique photography. The 'From England' comment in the copy, reflects the American ownership of Tomorrow's Man. 

 

58.4 Royale's Ambitious Advertising

With their images being well received, Royale were soon paying for full page ads in the British magazines.

Royale Advert in Body Beautiful 2 (June 1958)

This ad features Cliff Smith (CLS) and John Skilling (JOS), seen solo and wrestling with Fred Collins. I haven't identified 'ROS' yet

 

Placing ads helped to ensure plentiful representation in the body of the magazine of course, in this case 5 full pages featuring Leslie Woodmer.  

 

Several other wrestling photo sets (like Skilling vs Collins) featured in Royale's 1958 output, testing the boundaries of a relatively new, physique genre. It relied on the sporting and classical connections to enable the physical contact between unclothed men to pass muster with the homophobic authorities.

58.5 Royale's US ambitions

Royale Studio ad in Tomorrow's Man (Aug 1968)

This advertisement shows how Basil Clavering had identified American, gay men as a key, target market. The slogan is an adaptation of the Body Beautiful ad just above. He didn't hold back with his copy, but his pushy language was not untypical of the unsophisticated marketing of the time, Charles Atlas for example was scolding men who allowed others to kick sand in their faces (an everyday occurrence on 1950's beaches apparently).

The model shown is Cliff Smith.

 

Tomorrow's Man had restricted, small formats for advertising, a more polished, full page advertisement appeared in the first issue of 'Man Alive' magazine around the same time...

 

Royale Studio Advertisement in 'Man Alive' issue 1 (ca Aug 1958)

 

This advertisement showed illustrations from 4 photosets, but unlabelled, since the aim was for customers to buy a sampling catalogue. The solo posers are John Skilling (left) and Ian Oliver. In the bottom row is an image from a (so far unidentified) knife fight and one of the early storyettes, 'The Stolen Motorcycle'. A different but equally inoffensive version of this ad also appeared in the Autumn issue.
 

58.6 Stories Begin To Appear

Royale were soon to become renowned for their 'storyette' photo stories. We know from their Catalogue, List A, that several existed in 1958, but Royale seem to have been cagey about advertising them in the beefcake press. Two other titles, 'Horseplay' and 'In the Gym', were mentioned in a May 1958 ad in 'Tomorrow's' Man Vol 6 No 5 but it's not clear if these were stories or simply themed sets. 

 

'The Arrest', featuring two real Guardsmen in uniform, was a more innovative set, with a genuine, military storyline and a corporal punishment scene included. This was the template for many of the storyettes that followed, including Soldier-Sailor (again featuring John Skilling and Fred Collins) which rounded off the year.

The Arrest joined Royale's Catalogue, List 3 in April 1958, but was not advertised in the physique press until the end of the year. It was included in the first Royale advertisement that specifically mentioned sets of this sort, in "Tomorrow's Man", Vol 7 No 1, dated December 1958.

 

The ad listed 5 sets (without any illustrations) - The Arrest, Desert Seen, Soldier-Sailor, Wild One (now lost?) and To Detention.  They were described as 'photo stories'. The term Storyette didn't appear in print until Jul 1959, in an ad in 'Manual' Vol 1 No 4,  see 59.2 below. However, had already Royale applied the term to 'The Wallet' in the Catalogue List for January 1959.

 

This reticence over publishing seems to indicate that magazine publishers foresaw that this new format might fall foul of the authorities, for any or all of the ingredients - gay innuendo, spanking and military. Other than Man Alive, few physique magazines of the time ever did carry illustrations from the storyettes, except miniatures incorporated into Royale advertisements.

1959

59.1 A Campaign in America

Royale had advertised in the US publications like "Tomorrow's Man" from the start in 1957, but in 1959 they launched a major campaign to gain a better presence in the US Market with the ad below. It was a half-page display and featured a now-rare image from the 1958 set 'Limey and Yankee' (set 1-ARHP from Royale's Catalogue List 'A').

Royale Studio ad for Limey and Yankee (1-ARHP) 1959

This is a good example of Clavering's flair for extravagant marketing and publicity, drawn from his experience in the cinema industry. The bombastic tone of the script gives us an insight into his exuberant personality and wit. It also illustrates British perceptions of how to impress American customers in pre-global times. The sheer chutzpah of the ad is justified by Royale Studio's genuine success in getting itself into physique print prominence in a very short space of time. 

The dates mentioned in the ad seem a bit skewed, Royale first got into print in Autumn '57 and this copy was probably written about a year after, with the lead time for printing seeing it published in March '59. As for 'hold that pose', however, they started taking photographs much earlier - see 56.1 above.

This ad from Tomorrow's Man (March 1959).

59.2 Storyettes

The term 'Story-ette' was first used in a Royale ad in Jul 1959 in 'Manual' Vol 1 No 4 (below). 

 

Royale Invent 'Storyettes'

That ad (above) listed 10 titles, for the first time outlining what a storyette was. It's unusually basic in design with typewriter lettering for the copy, perhaps a rushed job. Soldier-Sailor and Teddy Boy (TEDS) were two memorable titles on this list, both featuring badly behaved young men who get their come-uppance.

 

 

 

The following month, a much more polished display advert appeared...
 

 

 

This advert, published in 'Man Alive', Nos 6 and 7, listed nineteen storyette titles, with six of them illustrated. The list includes many of the best and most popular storyettes - like Unapproved School, Soldier-Sailor, Navy Romeo and Bullies. All the storyettes mentioned are known today (see the list in the sidebar).  

 

 

Royale Studio - 'Unapproved School' 1959

 

 The 'Unapproved School' storyette (or photo story) was a highlight of this year. It's dramatic storyline and outdoor setting infused the physique photography with cinematic qualities. It remains one of Royale's most popular stories.

 

This was the high water mark of Royale's story. The brand was riding on the crest of a wave of critical adulation in the beefcake press, although it seemed to be almost entirely based on the studio's beefcake shots, because few of them ever published images from the storyettes, except for the isolated thumbnails in Royale's ads. 'Man Alive' was the only one that regularly published groups of images that gave a sense of what storyettes were. However, this and word of mouth ensured that Royale's mail order business still had reach.

1960

60.1 The Birth of Dolphin Photography

In August 1960, Dolphin Photography was launched with a full page advertisement in Man Alive promoting the "The Thieving Cowboy" series by Tom of Finland which, they said, had been "expressly drawn" for Dolphin, implying something of a coup.

 

Dolphin Photography launch spread 1960
click to enlarge

Dolphin was also represented in the editorial pages of the magazine including one picture (opposite the ad, above) of Dennis James, clad Royale style, in exceedingly tight football shorts. You can see he was paired on the page with another soccer-themed picture, but one that was attributed to Royale. There were two more pictures of Dennis James (aka Dennis White) in that issue. Once again, one of those pictures was attributed to Royale, the other to Dolphin. 

It doesn't seem that there was any intention to differentiate the two 'brands' at this point, in fact the presentation of these football images seems designed to do the opposite, although we don't know whose idea it was to put them on the same page, the studio or the magazine. One would have expected a man with Clavering's marketing experience to avoid such a mistake, but perhaps he wasn't in control of events.

60.2 The Origin of The Name, 'Dolphin'

There was until recently a pub called the Dolphin two doors down from 110 Denbigh Street, it's a modern building, built in 1961 to replace a pub that had been bombed during WW2 (see Denbigh Street article). It's construction/renewal may have lent inspiration to the new project, but the whole area tends to be called Dolphin Square, the name of a substantial, up-market, apartment complex close by. It was built as a garden square and thanks to its proximity to the Houses of Parliament has been home to many MP's and prominent people over the years, including Princess Anne. Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies of the Profumo scandal were also residents there and John Vassal, the homosexual, Soviet spy was arrested there in 1962. It's been called 'The UK's most notorious address'

60.3 Leather Merchants

A third picture by Dolphin was included in that same August 1960 issue of Man Alive and it did have something new and different. It showed 3 models clad from head to toe in leather and posing with a motorbike...

 

Dolphin Photography launched with Leather Merchants 1960

'Leather Merchants' was not the usual subject matter for a physique magazine. The picture was of smallish size, almost hidden alongside two, conventional, beefcake images advertising men's apparel. It was presented as though it, too was intended to promote clothing of a vaguely sporting nature - or as the page title says, 'Muscle Man Gear'. 

In reality it was referencing directly the underground culture of Motor Cycle Clubs which had developed as a hobby for young men after the Second World War and spawned the infamous, unofficial 'Cafe Races' which form the background to the plot of the homoerotic, 1964 film, 'The Leather Boys'. This world gradually became a haven, a cover, for anyone with fetish leanings. That association was not unknown to the public at large but was not particularly linked to homosexuality. In the coming years Tom of Finland would become inextricably linked to the golden age of gay Motor Cycle Clubs.

Dolphin's exploration of leather gear was a natural extension of Royale's established Uniform and Corporal Punishment themes, but more implicitly homosexual and fetish-focussed. 

(an article on Royale Studio and leather fetish is in preparation) 

60.4 Parallel Publishing

Between them Royale and Dolphin had eight pictures in that issue, of Man Alive, around 20% of the total pages. They continued to operate alongside each other in the months that followed.  

 

60.5 Why was Dolphin Created?

We don't know the full rationale behind the Dolphin-Royale separation. It seems clear, however, that it wasn't a new Royale project with a different purpose. The old material and models continued to be shared by them in the new set-up, but they seem to have separately recruited new models. 

Significantly, in an undated, order acknowledgement, included as ephemera in the British Photographers collection (Ref 1), John Parkhurst described himself as the Proprietor of Dolphin Photography, with no mention of Clavering. He didn't adopt the Studio tag for Dolphin and, in another unsubtle differentiation from the Royale brand, he described his photo stories as 'playlets' instead of storyettes.  

 It's a matter of conjecture whether this apparent parting of the ways, was amicable or otherwise or perhaps was a practical device to rehabilitate the brand from it's reputation for attracting unwelcome interest from the authorities.  

According to a message sent to the 'British Photographers Group' (Source No 1) and reported at 'Tim In Vermont' (Source No 9): - 

"Basil was forced to finish due to his co-Directors, after he released a set of pics denoting two sailors supposedly whipping their white uniforms from each other which somehow got out and caused a huge rumpus". 

This is pure hearsay, but there is a photo set that broadly fits this description. It's 'Whip Duel' starring Peter George and Ron Wiltshire. This set was included in Royale's July 1959 Catalogue list with the name 'Whip Fight'*. It was prominently featured  in a display advert in 'Man Alive's, August and October issues that year (also seen in 59.2). 

This timing is a plausible fit with the (breakaway?) launch of Dolphin in mid 1960 and might explain the puzzling continuation of the two studios in parallel until 1962. However, the cause of the split in the statement quoted above (if split it was) is not entirely convincing. 

Whip Duel's violent imagery is not very different to contemporary 'Sword and Sandal' movies, so the reported 'rumpus' was more likely to have been triggered by the (non-classical) bare bottoms in the Man Alive ad, rather than the photo set itself, which had a very limited circulation. The pictures might have prompted the Police to raid premises - most likely those of 'Man Alive' or retailers - to confiscate the offending material. As far as I know the Police didn't keep records of raids such as these, but I've found no evidence of prosecutions. 

Whatever the case, 'Man Alive' continued it's usual print schedule in January 1960 but it included a new, full page Royale advert which relegated 'Whip Duel' and 'Navy Romeo' to the text. The magazine's editorial also speaks of 'seeing the back' of the old year, but does not elaborate. This lends some credence to the rumpus story.

 60.6 Who Else Was Involved?

Another interesting facet of the report of a 'rumpus' is the reference to co-Directors (plural). We know about John Parkhurst who set up Royale with Clavering and had control of Dolphin. Don Avard was reported as being involved in 'the Royale firm' too (see 58.2 above) but was he a 'co-Director'? We don't even know that he was still around at this time. 

If the quoted statement is accurate (which is a big 'if'), was there someone else involved? I can't help thinking of Scott of London who crops up time and time again in these articles and Pete Dobing. Both these men feature in the aftermath of the Royale Story (see 65.2 below). 

It's also possible that the Co-Directors in question were Basil's colleagues in his day job as a Cinema Manager and Co-Director of the Cameo-Poly cinema chain. The head of the chain was Albert Clavering, Basil's uncle and a Conservative politician of considerable standing. Given Basil's openness about his involvement with Royale and it's use of his home address, it is certainly plausible that they might have insisted that he became more discreet about his activities. That would explain very simply the creation of Dolphin Photography with a new address under Parkhurst's direction, but not the continued existence of Royale after the split.

There is a simpler, more prosaic explanation. Basil Clavering's job was a full time one. Photos of the time show him hobnobbing with celebrities at film festivals in Edinburgh and Cannes. This must have left him with little time for organising and conducting photo shoots, certainly not in the volumes Royale published in their peak years. We might deduce that the burden of Royale's work fell on John Parkhurst and it would have been understandable if he'd wanted more recognition and, perhaps, his own business. The 'rumpus' may have been the trigger to do it.

60.7 Dolphin and 'Man Alive' Get Together

The Man Alive 'Thieving Cowboy', launch advert (60.1) gave Dolphin's new address as 3, Golden Square. This is a garden square at the Regent Street & Piccadilly Circus end of Soho's Brewer Street. Interestingly, Man Alive, the magazine that carried that launch ad, also gave Golden Square as their publishing address, see below. However, Man Alive had been based elsewhere, at 10, St Martin's Court, for every previous issue.

 

Dolphin Photography and Man Alive magazine shared the same Address

There's clearly a connection between the two events but it may simply have been a matter of convenience to share new offices. 

 Man Alive had had a very close relationship with Royale. Most beefcake magazines only printed Royale's conventional physique images, but  Man Alive had been printing potted versions of Royale storyettes in every issue over the previous 18 months. However, that ceased at this point and a year later they stopped printing Royale pictures altogether and only featured Hussar (as Dolphin was renamed) after that. 

 

60.8 One-Upmanship 

A month later, in September 1960, Royale laid their own claim to ownership of Tom's 'Thieving Cowboy', implying that it had been "specially drawn" for them in an advert (shown below) in Trim No 14. The ad also ran in Tomorrow's Man, Vol 8 No 11 (Oct 1960).

 

Royale also laid claim to the Thieving Cowboy

According to De Simone Wayland (writing for the Bonham's Sale Catalogue in 2021), Royale had commissioned the series from Tom in 1957. It's dated as being drawn in 1958 in GMP's Tom of Finland Retrospective (Vol 1 p14), however, I cannot find any trace of Royale advertising it prior to these two ads. They did advertise other artists in their 'stable' and included them in their 1960 catalogue, but not Tom of Finland. Maybe the claims of commissioning and exclusivity only related to the later publication in Britain. Whatever the case, there's a sniff of competition and one-upmanship in the near-simultaneous release and wording of these two ads. 

60.9 Rivalries

At the end of 1960, Royale published a single image of Tibor Urgay posing naked (rear view) in a woodland glade. It made the back cover of 'Man Alive' No 12. The same picture reappeared the following year, in a Male Classics spread under the Hussar brand. However, their version was horizontally reversed and the strings of a pouch can be seen. The nude appears to be the doctored version. It's almost as if Clavering was making a point about rear nudity.

There was a similar squabble in 1961, coinciding with the name change of Dolphin to Hussar. This time it was over a solo photograph of Mike Ridgeway - see 61.2 below. 

1961

61.1 More One-Upmanship

Royale Studio advert - One Swallow Doesn't Make a Summer

 

This curious advertisement appeared in the Tomorrow's Man Annual for 1961. The puzzling motto might be seen as a sour response to the initial success of Dolphin. It's not clear exactly when this journal was published, but it contains a feature showing all the 1960 cover page models plus January 1961. That suggests it was published early in 1961. 

 

 

 

Curious Headline in Tomorrow's Man (Mar 1961)

The curious wording of this advertisement for Dolphin around the same time, in March 1961 (in Tomorrow's Man), is equally puzzling. I've never heard of Dolphins being renowned for their happiness, larks yes, dolphins no. The motto style suggests it might well be a response to Royale's ad or it could simply be related to some popular theme of the day. The question mark might also be signalling the studio name change that was imminent, see 61.2 below. 

The ad itself showed an enticing thumbnail from a storyette, apparently re-enacting Tom of Finland's well-known image of a burglar being tackled by a young man in underwear, but with the roles reversed. A suitably intimidating Ron Wiltshire plays 'The Burglar'. 

The new Dolphin studio did have something to be happy about at this time, they had a half page advertisement printed in the Man-ifique Spring issue of 1961, the first time the Royale group had been mentioned in a John Barrington publication for over two years.  

Being obscure, seemed to be catching that year. Two months later, this ad for Royale appeared, also in Tomorrow's Man...

Royale's Curious Advert in Tomorrow's Man (May 1961)

It boasted of 12 new stories with typical Clavering hyperbole, but, unlike the Dolphin ad, didn't give any titles, nor was there a sample illustration to tempt customers. Royale and Dolphin both had images featured in the body of the magazine, but they were strictly bodybuilding material. Was Clavering too preoccupied to prepare a better advertisement? Did he really have 12 new storiettes? Or was this simply a desperate attempt to keep up with the happy Dolphins, playing tit-for-tat?

The following month a similar, bare Royale ad announced that it had 50 storyettes, "unrivalled by any other studio!" (see below). Again, there were no titles or illustrations to hook the reader, the copy simply proclaimed "Authentic Action" and "Lavishly Illustrated Lists".

Rival Adverts in Tomorrow's Man (June 1961)

Significantly, the first advert using the Hussar name appeared on the same page, with an eye-catching illustration from Tom of Finland's 'Thieving Cowboy', but in a less prominent position. It counter-claimed ".....thrilling Playlets make our lists the most exciting! 
 

The cheap and cheerful Royale ad seems suspiciously like a spoiler.

61.2 Dolphin Photography becomes Hussar Studio

Dolphin Photography becomes Hussar Studio 1961

In August 1961, a year after the launch of Dolphin Photography, Trim were telling their readers that the studio had changed it's name to Hussar, apparently because there was an existing business already using the name. In fact a photo spread of 'The Hold-Up' (again starring Ron Wiltshire) had already been published under the Hussar name in March 1961, in 'Man Alive' No 13.

Also in August, another squabble erupted between the two studios over a Royale photograph of Mike Ridgeway. Hussar rebranded him as one of their models in Adonis 14 (using a reversed image, just as they had with Tibor, see 60.9). This prompted Royale to publish the 'correct' image in Fizeek, the following November.
Read the full saga of Mike Ridgeway.

61.3 Royale's Decline

Royale and Hussar continued to advertise their 'Storyettes' and 'Playlets' alongside each other (literally sometimes, as in the example below).

Parallel Advertising for Hussar and Royale 1961

This was in Body Beautiful No 15, around the end of 1961. Hussar have listed four new playlets here, three of which are still known to us. The flowery, literary copy boasts of their quality. 

Royale, in the adjacent ad, have used a stinging headline and a new photo, which I have been unable to connect to a model or a storyette. Cowboys were last seen in Royale's work in Don Avard's heyday. There seems a touch of frustration in the pushy copy which is clearly trading on their reputation. This was Royale's first advertisement in Body Beautiful for a year and it was to be the last. 

 Towards the end, illustrations were regularly dropped from both studio's ads and some were simply addresses, relying on images posted in the body of the magazine to attract interest. Hussar had a picture of Peter George featured in the body of this issue, but Royale wasn't represented at all. Royale had appeared in every issue of Body Beautiful up to No 12, with as many as six full pages at the peak but apart from this advertisement, there was only one more appearance after that - a photo of David Clarke in issue 19 (1962). 

61.4 A Glimpse of Despair

By December 1961, Royale's bombast had turned into an almost despairing tone....

In Tomorrow's Man vol10, #1 

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more info on the dropping of illustrations (pending)

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1962

62.1 The Rivals Continue

Tomorrow's Man, Directory of Physique Photographers (Jan 1962)

Both Hussar and Royale were still included as active businesses in the 'TM directory of Physique Photographers' published in the January 1962 issue of Tomorrow's Man.

The Hussar advert at the bottom of the page mentions a number of new 'playlets' all of which seem to have been  completely lost except 'Hold-Up'. (If any of my readers know differently I'd be delighted to hear from them)

62.5 Innovations

In May 1962, Royale and Hussar posted separate ads in Tomorrow's Man, both announcing that they were making their photographs available in transparency format*. This suggests that they may have still been collaborating at a technical level (or else were using the same service to convert their photos). It was clearly an attempt to keep up with technological advances and widen their appeal, but neither ad mentions colour, which was starting to become mainstream at this time.

*Transparencies were photographs put on celluloid so they could be projected onto a screen like a film or viewed in a light box. We call them slides these days.

Royale chose to illustrate their May ad in Tomorrow's Man with a picture from their back catalogue - Ned Willigan in 'Navy Gash' from 1959. 

Hussar on the other hand were still announcing new 'playlets', 12 of them in July's TM. But, curiously, they too chose to illustrate their ad with a picture from the early years -  of Peter George in PT kit (also 1959!). He was in two of their new playlets, but it seems unlikely that they were truly 'new' photographs. In their last months, both studios were digging into their archives as though seeking to rekindle the popularity of the old days.

  

62.6 Royale's Last Roll of the Dice

Tomorrow's Man, Directory of Physique Photographers (Jun 1962)

Royale and Hussar were still both listed in the TM Directory in Jun 1962, which was nearly two years after Dolphin/Hussar had been set up. Just below you can see that Royale were still independently advertising their pictures and storyettes, seemingly with a new model. However this advert was identical to one that had already run in the February issue. That's not really a sign of a lively, thriving business and in fact I've not found any more ads for Royale after this.

 

Royale gradually began to disappear from the lists of active Photographers. Their last mention in Manual's list was Jun 62, the same date as their last ad. However Royale images continued to be published every month in Tomorrow's Man until December 1962, at which point they were also removed from their list. It's possible this last wag of the tail was the magazine using up it's 'stock'.

 

62.7 Why Did Clavering Quit?

It's perhaps worth remembering that Clavering was 52 years old at this point and still had full time job as a cinema manager. He seems to have been a confident, adventurous man but if there was repeated unpleasantness with the authorities or disputes with his confederates, it would have tested his resources. We don't know exactly what circumstances surrounded the split between Royale and Dolphin, but he quite likely found it too difficult to continue without his right hand man. It's possible his health was failing, since he eventually died only eleven years later without even reaching retirement age. Parkhurst on the other hand was only 35 in 1962, with many years in front of him and experience enough to pick up the mantle.

1963

63.1 Royale Studio Disappears

The page above is the last studio list I have found where both Studios are still mentioned. It's from Modern Adonis No 22, probably around March 1963. Trim magazine deleted Royale from their list in the February 1963 issue.

Notice that the address given for Cas Art here has been superimposed on a different signature - that of Holzman.

 

63.2 Obituaries

 

This editorial in the following issue of Modern Adonis (No 23 around June 1963) could be seen as an obituary to Royale's memory although there is no specific mention of names, much less causes. Nor were any of Royale's photographs included in the issue. It's as if even the name had become taboo.

1964

64.1 Hussar's Last Roll

Hussar's pictures and advertisements continued to run until at least February 1964 (in Manual No 49). The last one featured Peter George's elderly, PT Instructor set again from 1959! (see 62.7). 

Around the same time Champ Annual Vol 2 No2 (Spring '64) splashed 4 pages worth of thumbnail sheets and there was a supporting advertisement. This may have been Hussar's last desperate roll of the dice. 

So far I've not found any later ads for Hussar. Their last appearance in Tomorrow's Man's Directory of Physique Photographers was also in February 1964, which suggests that this was when they ceased trading, although 'Manual' and 'Trim' continued to list them until Oct 1964.

We don't know what finally finished Hussar, perhaps the loss of Clavering's flair for publicity after the split was too damaging.

64.2 The Last Rites

Scan Magazine No 8 (ca. Jun 1964) chose to commemorate the demise of Hussar studio rather symbolically, provocatively even, by reviving this image of Tom Manlick (yes that is his name!) posing in half of a genuine Royal Horse Guard's Uniform and a chain-mail pouch. 

Male Classics Annual in 1964 included a lot of Royale/Hussar pictures but did not mention them in the list of contributors. 

Other magazines lamented that 'some people' could not accept increasing use of clothing and biker imagery, which of course was still 'disqualified' from the categories of health, body building and fashion which were permitted by the authorities for imagery in which men 'displayed' themselves.

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1965

65.1 In Memory

 The Male Classics 1965 Annual went further with an article discussing in academic-sounding terms the evolving use of clothing in physique photography with Royale/Hussar well represented. There was a striking double page spread with multiple snippets of examples almost entirely dedicated to them, but they weren't mentioned by name except via cryptic, coded credits. 

The Male Classics 'tribute' spread 

Click to Enlarge

This montage spread appeared without any explanatory text and seems to be a tribute to Royale. One that isn't Royale is 24 which is by Scott. I'm not sure either about 9, 13 and 20. These two pages feature snippets of many pictures that were previously unknown to me but I have tried to caption them as far as possible. If any reader can add to or correct my names, please add a comment to the foot of the post.

65.2 The Legacy

Some time later Royale material started turning up under the names of two other photographers - Scott of London and Peter Dobing. It's unclear whether they had a stake in the Studio or simply acquired the material in the 'closing down sale'. (Further article link pending).  

1967-8

67.1 Retrospectives

In 1967 Grecian Guild Studio Quarterly dedicated it's entire Summer 1967 edition to Hussar. Royale pictures were included but it wasn't mentioned by name (although there wasn't any editorial text apart from the index). The issue also included art by Holzmann.

In Spring of 1968 Trim Studio Quarterly did the same thing, showing a completely different selection of pictures and referencing the GGSQ feature, so they were clearly connected events. Interestingly they declared Tibor Noszgay to be Hussar's 'star' model.  

67.2 Do You Remember?

Tibor Noszgay by Hussar

This image of Tibor Noszgay (by Hussar/Royale though not attributed to any of them by name) appeared in Male Classics with a nostalgic commentary around the second half of 1967.

 

 Quite why the studio names were so deliberately not mentioned in the caption is a puzzle.

  

1970s

 

In the 1970's, Royale storyette images featured regularly in 'Mister SM' magazine and the the Royale style of military imagery was harnessed to explicitly sexual material by Mike Arlen and others. 

 

In the middle of that decade, 'Guys in Uniform' attempted to revive the Royale concept more comprehensively with Military and Sporting images depicting similar scenes of discipline and humiliation - and like Royale, modelled by real servicemen. They also delved deeply into leather and rubber fetish, an area that was hinted at by Royale and Hussar's biker and motorcycle imagery and also the notable 'chain pouch' series. 

 

It is claimed that 'Guys in Uniform' personnel had connections with Royale. Some of the props are teasingly similar, notably the 'body armour' leather harness that featured in their images and only recently linked to Royale in the Colville Collection (Source No 5).

Royale and Hussar images continued to appear in print in their own right for many years after, with Peter George's fetish, wader images still carrying carrying the flag in 'Drummer' in 1988 and 'Dungeon Master' in 1989 (see Peter George's Career). 

 

2000s, Present Day

Royale and Hussar still refuse to die with periodic exhibitions recognising their contribution to gay history and art. Retrospective articles and exhibitions appear in private blogs from time to time (see Sources). 

Occasionally 'new' images surface on auction sites and astonishing prices are being reached in sale rooms for collections of surviving photographs (see also auctions articles). 

article produced by Mitchell 
for the mitchmen, Royale Studio, Open Archive

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ARTICLE UPDATE HISTORY

v21 - 60.1 Royale-Dolphin split extensively revised

v20 (Mar '26) - 64.1 New 'last ad' reference (Champ Annual)

v19 - 65.1 and later revamped and extended

v18 - 60.9 added, 61.1 expanded  to include bizarre Royale ad, 61.4 added, 62 expanded

 v17 - 60.7 added, Royale's rivalry with Dolphin and Hussar

v16 - 65.2 Royale's legacy expanded

v15 - 61.2 Launch of Hussar name earlier than previously thought, 56.1 additional source re: Clavering's 'hobby'

v14 - 58.2 updated with John Barrington's support for Dolphin + New sections added about 'Storyettes' 58.5, 59.2

v13 - Detail added re: Whip Duel controversy (60.8)

v12 - Image 65.1 enlarged (feedback welcome)

v11 - clarification of relationship with John Barrington 58.2 + Date of Royale's demise 63.1

v10 - Earliest Royale image 57.1, Leather sub-culture 60.3

v9 - Clavering's contacts with John Barrington 56.1, 58.2

v8 - Info about the Royale- Dolphin split (60.5), US marketing (58.5)

v7 - Info on Royale's first published pictures corrected (57.2)

v6 - Tom of Finland connection rewritten

v5 - Male Classic's Tribute To Royale

v4 - Royale's US marketing push, Epitaphs in Magazines