The life of John S Barrington, a British photographer who dedicated his career to capturing the male form, is shrouded in secrecy. While his vintage nude male photographs are celebrated for their beauty and artistry, there is a fascinating, and somewhat contradictory, aspect to Barrington’s life.
Barrington insisted that he was a straight man, but he enjoyed sex with his models, many of whom were also straight. His life story, Physique: The Life of John S Barrington, was published posthumously, shedding light on this eccentric figure who stalked through the blackout of wartime London with a monocle, long hair, a malacca cane, and a camera slung around his neck.
Originally, Barrington used his photographs as references for his drawings and sculptures, but he proved to be more successful as a photographer than as an artist. In 1954, he launched Male Model Monthly, the first British physique magazine, and preferred to photograph boy-next-door types who were straight, like himself.
However, Barrington’s life was not without controversy. In 1949, he was arrested by undercover police for misbehaving in a public lavatory, but escaped with a small fine. In 1953, he was sent to jail for three months for sending obscene articles through the mail.
Barrington’s legacy lives on through his vintage male nude photographs, which reveal a chemistry between the models that he captured with such artistry. His subjects include Vic Hayward and Roy Scammel, who went on to successful careers as a stuntman and actor respectively, as well as German bodybuilder Helmut Riedmeier.
Barrington’s life may have been shrouded in secrecy, but his legacy endures, celebrating the beauty of the male form and the artistry of his photographs.