Vintage soft porn in 3-D! 

This is a very kitschy  collection of full-colour, sexually explicit 3-D photographs of men taken in the early 1950s by Denny Denfield (1918-1992), an amateur physique photographer in California who worked as an accountant for the US Army.

Denfield’s photographs, never distributed publicly given their illegality at the time, display a skill, wit, and daring rarely seen, and with their rich Kodachrome colours and mid-century decors, can now be appreciated for their rogueish, almost naïve charm.

The accompanying narrative by David L. Chapman, from whose own private collection these photographs appear, sheds fascinating light on Denfield’s secret life and work (stereography had been invented in 1850, but the advent of a compact, easy-to-use 3-D camera in 1947 allowed amateurs like Denfield to produce their own). And a narrative by acclaimed Montreal writer and scholar Thomas Waugh (Lust Unearthed, Out/Lines, Gay Art: A Historic Collection) places Denfield’s work in the historical context of homoerotic photography over the last century.

It was actually  Robert Mizer, of the Athletic Model Guild, who suggested to Denfield in the 1950’s that he try to experiment with the 3-D technology. Denfield was the first photographer of the era to use 3-D to shoot naked and half-naked men! – The 3-D photographs are comprised of dual images which “come alive” when viewed through the 3-D glasses, supplied with the book. Equal parts kitschy, informed, and sexy, Comin’ at Ya! is a collection that is both fun and historically fascinating. – Glasses are included. This is not high-definition, mind you. It’s vintage 3-D using  technology that is fifty years old. But still fun and entertaining nonetheless. 

         * The book was made ring bound, to ensure the pages lay flat
              when trying to view with  the  3-d glasses.  
                                        207 Pages, Arsenal Pulp Press, $27.95

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