Biographical Note
Conditions Governing Use
Immediate Source of Acquistion
Preferred Citation
Processing Information
Scope and Contents
Conditions Governing Access
Related Materials
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: Pat Milo Physique photographs
creator:
Frisby, Lyle
creator:
Milo, Pat
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2014.123
Physical Description:
4.8 Linear Feet
19 binder boxes
2349 photographic prints
Date (inclusive): circa 1955-1969
Abstract: Physique photographic prints produced Lyle Frisby and Pat Milo. Milo sold photosets through the mail and his images appeared
in physique magazines, circa 1955-1969.
Biographical Note
Pat Milo (James Patrick) was born in 1911 into a large, Irish Catholic family. At a young age, he was forced to leave school
to help care for his family. On the side, Milo indulged his interest in young men by dabbling in amateur photography. When
his father found some of his photographs, he was thrown out of the house and forced to venture out on his own.
He eventually found work as a short-order cook where he met Lyle Frisby. In the early 1950s the two opened a photography studio.
The studio quickly failed. Undeterred, Frisby contacted Bruce Bellas (Bruce of Los Angeles), a photographer whose work he
admired and wanted to emulate, for advice. Bellas advised him to move to Los Angeles. Frisby moved to Los Angeles, with Milo
following a year later. Together, they again opened a storefront studio, Lyle Studio on Naud Street, just blocks from Los
Angeles’ Chinatown, circa 1953. Frisby handled the photography and Milo handled the daily business. The store fronted as a
commercial photography venture, but Frisby’s primary business was photographing athletic male models for the physique magazines.
His earliest known advertisement appears in
Physique Pictorial in December 1953. Frisby and Milo sold nude photographs of physique models through mail order, as well as in person at the
Naud Street storefront. It was here, circa 1956 or 1957, that Frisby was arrested for obscenity. While Frisby was incarcerated,
Milo began taking extension classes at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to improve his photography skills.
He met Hollywood photographer George Hurrell at UCLA and developed a similar photographic technique. Frisby experienced a
rapid decline in his health during his year-long incarceration, and soon after his release he died.
Milo opened a studio of his own on Vermont Street in Los Angeles, and he began photographing male models under the Milo brand.
His photographs began appearing in physique magazines in 1959. He continued selling nude photographs using Lyle Frisby’s mailing
list and new clients brought in through advertisements. Over the next decade, he shots dozens of models, garnering respect
from many of the models for his atypical “hands-off” approach during their modeling sessions. Although Milo photographed many
models, he is perhaps best-known for his photographs of competitive bodybuilder Larry Scott.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Immediate Source of Acquistion
Photographs aggregated from collections and donations to the archives.
Preferred Citation
[Item, box binder #] Pat Milo Physique Photographs, Coll2014-122, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Henry Benison, Brad Bradley, Steve Fritch, Robert Graves, David Hensley, Christian Morales, and Michael
C. Oliveira, November 2014.
Names followed by the comment "questionable," suggest availble sources, but unverified sources. Names followed by the comment
"doubtful," suggest no availble source for identification.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of Pat Milo physique photographic prints.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Related Materials
Milo of Los Angeles, Studios and Distributors Marketing Materials Collection, Coll2012-170, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives,
USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photographs
Photography of men
Gay erotic photography
Frisby, Lyle
Milo, Pat