Click detail of Desbonnet behind camera to see a larger image in the Google group.

At the end of the 19^th. Century, Professor Edmond Desbonnet (1867-1953) develloped his Physical Culture theory and practice. His fitness centra became popular in many European countries. Desbonnet used (stereo) photography to capture his proud, men & women, athletes.
This "METHODE DESBONNET" was a reaction against the "Belle Epoque" decadence where people lived wealthy withouth thinking on their physical condition and health. Desbonnet stated that in addition to a healthy mind, a healthy body was equally important! Since the "Methode Desbonnet" was also expensive, before World War I, his fitness rooms were frequented by the high class of French society. After the first World War, the working class gain access to the Physical Culture movement, method & vogue.

At the hight of Desbonnet's popularity, there were more than 200 fitness centra in Europe where his method was used. Famous early body builders, e.g. Young Sandow, Apollon, Brancaccio, Nowosielsky, were adepts of the Desbonnet method and often depicted in the magazines and books he published. Through his magazines, these photographs were offered for sale, often in combination with hand held stereo viewers or the more elaborate TAXIPHOTE, produced by Jules Richard, or STEREODROME, produced by Gaumont.

Hand-held Brewster type stereo viewer for glasplates
(center)

Mahogany Jules Richard stereo storage cabinet
(left)

Stereodrome, produced by Gaumont
 (right)

On this page we will meet again Apollon, together with other famous and less famous colleagues and fellow early Body Builders. On the right we see Apollon (Louis Uni) together with Paul Pons on the cover of the "La Culture Physique", 15 februari, 1911.

The photographs on this page (including the photographs in Classic Nudes & Cabaret Women) all came frome one "Culture Physique" collection housed in a mahogany Jules Richard stereo storage cabinet, depicted above left.

Women and physical culture seems to be related with the world of the cabaret and theatre, judging women photographs in these health magazines.
See: "Les Jambes Superbes, women in the Moulin Rouge & Folies Bergère"
Several of the famous strong men were also performing in vaudeville and theatre.
In 1889, Apollon performed an "escaping prisoner" act in the Folies-Bergère.

More on the history of bodybuilding can be found on "The Todd-McClean Physical Culture Collection" Sandowmuseum.com, "The golden age of Iron Man", "Iron Game/Physical Culture History",