Tuesday, September 4, 2007

George Hackenschmidt - The Russian Lion






I collect pics of the turn of the (20th) century strongmen whenever I find them -- the classical poses they took are direct inspirations for the physique photographers of the 40s and 50s, and they were the men who created the base for the bodybuilding/fitness world we have today.

My favorite strongman was the Russian wrestler Georg(e) Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion. Google him -- you'll find pages and pages on him. His autobiography, published in 1908 and kept in print for decades afterwards can be found scanned in its entirety here.

Born in 1878, he lived to the ripe old age of 90, passing away in London in 1968.

I think he's simply stunning.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree. He is one of my favorites.