Wholesale Issue 1: Slave For A Queen

Robert Henry Mizer (1922 – 1992) is the photographer for this puzzle’s featured image, a production still from Mizer’s 1966 film, “Slave for a Queen” starring Ron Roberts, Mary Scott, Gordon Parnell, and Bill Mahrer. Bob Mizer was ahead of his time in daring to present the nude male body. Although his images may seem tame by today’s standards, they were highly controversial during the 1940s through the 1960s. Prior to the 1960s, images of full-frontal male nudity were illegal in the U.S. and the mere suggestion of nudity was taboo. Slave for a Queen is an example of Mizer’s early work before full-frontal male nudity was legalized. The models had to wear posing straps, precursors to the G-string, which allowed Mizer to photograph his models nearly nude. Like many of Mizer’s works, the staging, posing and composition of Slave for a Queen combines the overtly specific with a thoroughly ambiguous narrative—providing a glimpse into his wonderfully creative and incessantly curious mind.