Commercially produced anatomical studies of nude models became a standard cosmopolitan product in the late 19th Century. They were initially used for poor students of the arts who could not afford a live model. The bodybuilding male model in physique photography was popularized by the famous weightlifter, Eugen Sandow, during this time. In this context, muscle mass was a reflection of the Greek ideal, meticulously proportioned. Images were often of erotic form; depicting the male model scantily clad or nude as Hercules or powdered white imitating a Greek statue. Artistic study thus transformed physique photography into an industry often sold as pocket-sized postcards.

The line was sometimes thin between the bodybuilder model and homoerotic photography. This artistic movement was often geared towards the closeted gay male audience, which was challenged in the 20th century. Censorship increased, and the scene moved underground in response to the penalization of homosexuality. Bodybuilding thus divorced itself as a subversive act and grew as an homage to the perfection of the male form, becoming a legitimate sport in 1939 by the York Barbell Company "Best Built Man" contest.