Bruce of Los Angeles
Bruce Bellas, better known as Bruce of Los Angeles, was a school teacher in Omaha Nebraska before he motored West. He came to specialize in photographing Southern California bodybuilders like Keith Stephens and Bob Mucci, popular celebrities like Ed Fury and Hollywood street trade like the young Joe Dallesandro. A prolific photographer and distributor, Bruce created some of the most classically beautiful and collectible images of the mid-20th Century. For more information, see the "Collector's Notes" below. You may also visit other sites, read book reviews and purchase books from our Links & Books page.
Bruce_Fury04 Bruce_021 Bruce_024
"Ed Fury with Sword"
circa 1950s, $950
Bruce Bellas
8x10" black & white
Early stamp, numbered 8		 "Model with Column"
circa 1950s, $200
Bruce Bellas
4x5" black & white
Early stamp, numbered 15-5		 "Harold Adducci with Blonde Wrestler"
circa 1950s, $950
Bruce Bellas
7.5x10" black & white (right border trimmed)
Early stamp, numbered 5-7
Bruce_07Stephan Bruce_2132-05 Bruce_3004.1
"Keith Stephans Reclining"
circa 1950s, $950
Bruce Bellas
8x10" black & white
Early stamp, numbered 7		 "Mark Nixon"
circa 1950s, $150
Bruce Bellas
4x5" black & white
"Bruce" stamp, numbered 2132-5

"Keith Stephans Classic"
circa 1950s, $250
Bruce Bellas
5x7" black & white
"Bruce" stamp, numbered 3004-1
Bruce_3022-3 Bruce_BenMontgomery2 Bruce_MikeSill03
"Bob Storm"
circa 1950s, $150
Bruce Bellas
4x5" black & white
"Bruce" stamp, numbered 3022-3		 "Ben Montgomery"
circa 1950s, $750
Bruce Bellas
8x10" black & white		 "Mike Sills"
circa 1950s, $500
Bruce Bellas
8x10" black & white
Bruce_Lamm

"Bob Mucci"
circa 1950s, $500
Bruce Bellas
8x10" semi gloss finish
Early stamp, numbered 2

 "Bill Lamm"
circa 1950s, $750
Bruce Bellas
7.5x9.5" black & white, borders trimmed
Early stamp, numbered 22

"Brian Idol"
circa 1960s, $175
Bruce Bellas
5x7" silk finish
"Bruce" stamp

Kensington Road & Erotic Works by Bruce
Kensington Road was a mail-order distributor of Bruce of LA's work after his death in 1973. By then the strict postal laws against sending male frontal nudity through the US mail had been lifted, so the more erotically explicit images that Bruce himself never distributed were finally available for mass markets. The photographs were printed directly from his negatives, without borders and were never stamped. Kensignton Road was named for the street on which Bruce lived.


Collectors Notes: Bruce usually stamped the photographs that he himself printed and distributed, though every once in a while an image slipped through with only the number stamp. Those produced by Kensington Road after his death are never stamped and are borderless. These are the most common Bruce of LA stamps.
Early prints are printed in much warmer tones and always have a white border. The name stamps were san-sarif and included a single or two-digit number. 8X10's usually included the Post Office Box address. 4X5's simply included the city.
Left: Stamp from the reverse of an early 8X10. Below: from an early 4X5.
Later stamps contained the more recognizable cursive rendition of Bruce's' first name.
The numbering usually included a 2 or 4-digit number indicating the series of photos from which it came, followed by a dash and the number of the particular photo in the series.

Top: Stamp from the reverse of a later 8X10. Below: from an later 5X7.

Note: The style of the lettering and numbers never varied. 8X10 and 11X14-inch prints with the a slightly different style typeface are circulating and are most likely reprints by an unscrupulous forger from the last 10 to 15 years.

Click here to see the complete list of Collector's Notes or return to the top of the page.

To Purchase An Item:
If you are interested in purchasing any of the above photographs, please contact us at theguys@bigkugels.com.
Refer to the item name in the subject header of your e-mail and state in the body of the message that you are of legal age and residence to purchase adult items.
Please remember that these are one-of-a-kind items and will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Bruce
Douglas
Kris
Kovert
And Check out the other beefcake items
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