91 Sailors in the Rigging (1961-63)

Ten Hussar and Royale Studio photo groups which use Sailing Ship's Rigging

Both Royale and Hussar published naval images utilising a prop representing a sailing ship's rigging. Historically in the Navy, the rigging of a ship was used for the punishment of offenders at sea and some of the photo-sets listed below depict this practice. In others, the prop is used as a climbing frame or simply to create a nautical setting and atmosphere. 

 

These sets span the Royale and Hussar transitional period and as a result, publication dates and studio attributions are uncertain. The sets below are presently listed in a purely arbitrary sequence. 

 

Links are provided to the full picture sets which are held on the The "Royale Studio" Gallery at mitchmen, a separate site.  

Set A

This image showing a sailor on his hands and knees in very tight bell-bottoms is from a photo-set that hasn't been identified. The model is possibly Peter Vanderson which might connect it with the 'Lazy Sailor' photo-story. It's probably the work of Hussar Studio, date uncertain.

 

Set B

91B Strip Jack Naked (ca 1963) 

 

This was a photo story (playlet) produced by Hussar  Studio. In it a group of sailors are gambling in a form of strip poker. The loser is made to dress in tattered trousers and tied to the rigging like an offender in historical times. He ends up naked.

 

The models include David Tomkins (left) and Malcolm Shrimpton, (right). This archive has 17 images (1 in colour) out of a total of at least 28.

View the pictures: (Full article pending)

Set C

91C Sailor Buddies Tied To The Rigging

 

This set depicts Peter George and another unknown model, both dressed as sailors of old and tied to the rigging as if ready for punishment. Both are naked above the waist, with tight fitting pants and bare feet. Clever lighting resulted in a series of photographs which are both artistic and erotic.

 

This archive has 4 images (1 in colour) out of an unknown total. 

 

View the pictures: 91C Sailor Buddies Tied To The Rigging 

Set D

91D Peter Watts Tied to the Rigging (1961)

 

This set shows a single sailor spreadeagled in a ship's rigging and struggling to escape. It stars Peter Watts and the Studio attribution to Dolphin Photography and publication date of 1961 are based on solo pictures he did with them.

 

This archive has 3 images (1 in colour) out of an unknown total. 2 identification reference pictures of Peter Watts are also included in the article.

 

View the pictures: 91D Peter Watts Tied to the Rigging 

 

Set E

91E Sailor Flogged in the Rigging

 

Only one image, shown above is known of this photo-set, but it's an iconic representative of this group of photo-sets, capturing extraordinarily well the drama of a flogging on a ship.

 

The models are  Ron Wiltshire (L) as the flogger and Keith Bourne (R) as the supervising officer. The identity of the unfortunate seaman on the receiving end is, as yet, unknown.

 

Attributed to Royale Studio ca. 1960

View the pictures: 91E Sailor Flogged in the Rigging

 

Set F

This image is now merged with the 'Strip Jack Naked', Set B above

Set G

91G Sailor Flogged in the Rigging

 

This photo set, shows a seaman dressed in a Royal Navy shirt and tight-fitting shorts being flogged by a bare topped sailor in white bell bottoms and cap. Model above not yet identified

 

Models are possibly Malcolm Shrimpton as the flogger, offender not identified.

 

This archive has 4 images out of an unknown total.

 

View the pictures: 91G Sailor Flogged in the Rigging

  

Set H

91H Alan Adair in the Rigging, Royale Studio, 1962

This photo-set shows a sailor dressed in shorts and basket ball shoes, but bare topped. He climbs and poses in the rigging, unrestrained. 

This set was last ever advertised for sale by Royale after 2 years of competition with the Hussar brand.

 

This archive has 4 images out of an unknown total.

 

View the pictures: 91H Alan Adair in the Rigging 

 

 

Set I

91i Sailor Tied To Rigging

This set shows a sailor in shirt and tight white trousers tied to rigging by the wrist. He's wearing a white belt. 

This is the only image we have from this set (click to enlarge)

 

Model not yet identified

View the pictures: Sailor Tied To The Rigging

 

Set J

91J Fighting in the Rigging (1962) Dolphin Photography/Hussar 

This set shows two sailors in tight, white shorts struggling with each other in the rigging. It's one of the most successful of these rigging sets, capturing the muscular physiques of the models, it's full of drama and eroticism  

The models are: Paul Clarke and Malcolm Shrimpton

This archive has 4 images out of an unknown total.

View the pictures: 91J Fighting in the Rigging 

Set K

91K - Another Top-less Sailor in the Rigging, Hussar (1963

This rigging  picture from Hussar's final year, differs from the others in that the sailor is dressed in conventional trousers, rather than flap-fronted bell bottoms used by the Royal Navy. It seems to reflect a diversification into depicting the US Navy uniform as well as the Royal Navy, which had been tried previously in 52 The Hold-Up (Mar '61). It's one of the few Hussar images that made it to the front cover of a magazine.

 

This is the only image we have from this set of unknown size

and the model has not yet been identified.

View the full article: 91K - Another Top-less Sailor in the Rigging

Footnotes

Find out more about Royale's Rigging Prop

Access all the Royale sets which have been uploaded to
The mitchmen Royale Studio Open Archive