The original issues of Physique Pictorial were sold at the corner of Hollywood and Cahuenga, an area notably recognized as having a sizeable homosexual presence. Mizer’s photographs in Physique Pictorial provided more than just a source of entertainment for individuals, but also helped increase awareness in the gay community with regards to the emergence of a gay liberation movement. While Mizer’s first issues of Physique Pictorial contained partially nude photography, it was not until January 1969 that the first entirely nude issue of Physique Pictorial was published. Mizer’s work was extraordinarily radical as he utilized “physical fitness as a tool of survival in perniciously polite society” (Wenger). When crafting his ideal photographs, Mizer employed a diverse group of models, including bodybuilders, beach bums, college-aged individuals, and military personnel who returned back to the United States after being active in the service. Mizer utilized his skills as a lighting connoisseur to the test by crafting an idyllic shooting area for his models in his studio. In 1964, Mizer’s AMG studio started housing models. Also, models were often instructed to oil their bodies and play the roles of “sailors and wrestlers and cowboys” (Wenger). Walking into one of Mizer’s photoshoots, an observer could expect to view models dressed in posing straps, posing in front of elaborate backdrops, such as prairies. The primary setting for most of his photographs was his AMG studio, but he also spent ample time photographing models at Muscle Beach in Santa Monica.
Mizer’s identity as a photographer was rooted in his color photographs of partially nude men. Unlike many other photographers at the time, Mizer experimented with color photography and produced his original color photographs roughly around the mid-‘40s. Later that year, Mizer replaced Physique Photo News with Physique Pictorial. Prior to the popularity of Physique Pictorial, Mizer released one issue of the Physique Photo News in 1951. Mizer was most notably recognized for his contributions to the field of photography by the images circulated in Physique Pictorial. According to Mizer and Henry’s Athletic Model Guild Physique Photographs, Mizer was extremely open about his sexuality with the models he photographed (185). 1945 was quite a significant year for Mizer as he established his AMG studio in the living room of his home. Working with Kovert in the early years had a dramatic impact on Mizer's later booming career. In addition, Kovert was the owner of a photography studio on Hollywood’s Melrose Avenue. Kovert was recognized as both a drag-queen, silent film actor and photographer with interest in the category of physique photographs. Moreover, Mizer gained a mentorship opportunity with Frederic Kovert in 1942. The concealment of his true sexuality could stand as a reason why he did not gain attributable fame until later in his life, following his mother’s death on September 22, 1964. It is noted that Mizer had a close bond with his mother. In addition, at roughly 18 years of age, Mizer was interested in astrological glyphs and manipulated existing symbols to match specific personalities.
His diary highlighted his struggle to live a dual identity: publicly as a heterosexual teenager and privately as a homosexual one. Due in part to his concealment of his business, his early years were marked by lots of creativity and little publicity. As a result, Mizer lived a life of secrecy, one that was defined by his “nude sunbathing sessions” and periodic interactions with his models, involving “mutual masturbation or oral sex” (Hanson 7). Evidenced by Mizer’s diary entries during his teenage years, Mizer discussed his homosexuality but could not openly express it due in part to his conservative mother. At the age of five, in 1927, Mizer, his brother, and his mother moved to Los Angeles, where his mother transformed their home into a functioning rooming house. Early in his life, Bob Mizer lived in Idaho.
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