[unread] THE EDWARDIANS (1969) LANCE & Neil Edwards Gay Vintage PICTORIAL Physique Photos Male Nudes

This item is a rare and vintage NEIL EDWARDS / LANCE publication titled THE EDWARDIANS No.2 featuring “18+” physique photography of muscular young guys in AND OUT of posing straps. It also contains similar artwork and figure drawings from the period as well. This magazine was produced in 1969 using heavy stock paper. It is oversized at 8-1/2” x 11”. It is still in UNREAD condition. This item is DEADSTOCK and the original distributor never sold it; it has been in storage for over 40 years.

ALL MODELS ARE 18 YEARS OF AGE.

Photographer, Neil Edwards was born George Elliot McNeil on February 11, 1939 to George Elliot McNeil and Elizabeth McKinney, and was raised in Virginia. As an adult, the younger George Elliot McNeil legally changed his name to Neil Edwards to avoid any connection with his abusive father. Edwards' work as a physique photographer appears to have fallen between the years of 1964 and 1969, when he lived in Philadelphia: the earliest model release in the collection is dated March 1964, the latest January 1969. Mailings for his studio and model releases from this period also give a studio address in New York City. At the height of his photographic productivity, Edwards' work appeared in the pages of and on the covers of several male fitness magazines, including The Young Physique and Muscleboy. Edwards also is known to have to produced one periodical showcasing his work exclusively, The Edwardians, of which three or four issues were published; and possibly one other magazine, Blueboy (long preceding the better-known, gay erotic photography magazine of the same name), which featured a male model posed in the same fashion as John Singer Sargent's "Blueboy" painting. Eventually, Edwards was targeted by the Philadelphia District Attorney, Arlen Specter, for his physique photography work. Edwards' home was raided by police, who confiscated all his photographic equipment, most of his film, and his mail-order lists. Edwards was not arrested, nor was he ever charged for a crime. However, he petitioned for over a year for the return of his equipment. At one point, he was told the equipment had been lost, and eventually he was told that the raid never took place. This loss ruined Edwards financially, forcing him to go on public welfare, and depressed him emotionally, eventually resulting in a nervous breakdown that saw him committed to New York's Bellevue Hospital for a short time. It is unknown precisely when this raid occurred; however, Edwards' photographic output ceased abruptly in 1969. Edwards never took up professional photography again. Edwards died in Clearwater, Florida on December 16, 2003 of pulmonary fibrosis.

ALL MODELS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE CERTIFIED BY THE PUBLISHERS TO BE OVER THE LEGAL AGE OF 18, AS REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW.

Due to recent delivery issues with the USPS I now ship all magazines, digests and paperback books via Priority Mail. Up to $100 of insurance is included in this price. If you require additional insurance please let me know before I invoice you. I’m selling my collection of vintage 1950-1980s gay pulp paperback novels, pictorial and hardcore magazines, physique photography, magazines, artwork and other LGBTQ ephemera.