Little documentation exists about the physique photographer known as “Stan of Sweden.” Universal Hunks by David L. Chapman notes that Stan was a bodybuilder and photographer in Gothenburg, Sweden in the 1960s. Recognized for non-nudes, his photos include many competition shots that appear in traditional bodybuilding magazines of the period.

The best overview of his work is the Vol. 3, #3 (Winter 1966) issue of The Vikings. The majority of his photos were published in the early to mid-1960s. One of the earliest print references is from Tomorrow's Man, Feb. 1962. 

Of course he issued photographic catalog sheets, of which we have a few examples on the Homobilia site. His models are mostly Swedish or Scandinavian and include not just physique models but what might have been considered “trade” or as the French would say, “mecs.” 

He did like to assign pithy little labels like “Hans The Defined,” or “Niels That Nature Boy.” Perhaps the most well-known model he photographed was the incomparable Serge Nubret. His “Art Experiments” catalogs offer dramatically lit, close-up studio shots which reveal a different sort of Stan (not least in that they feature nudes). 

Besides posing trunks, there’s an emphasis on tight jeans and leather accessories. Props including swords, guns and ice hooks show up occasionally. Studio backgrounds tend to be stark white though there were also a substantial number of outdoor photo sessions. There are a few examples of two models posing together.

There are two different studio stamps: the basic “STAN” stamp and the larger “Gothenburg” stamp.

Here's a rare signed letter from Stan to one of his customers, a Mr. Burts, in the U.K.