thumb|200px|Wilhelm von Plüschow as photographed by his cousin [[Wilhelm von Gloeden ( 1890)]]

Guglielmo Plüschow (born Wilhelm Plüschow; 18 August 1852 – 3 January 1930) was a German photographer who moved to Italy and became known for his nude photos of local youths, predominantly males. Plüschow was a cousin of Wilhelm von Gloeden, who, despite taking up nude photography later than Plüschow, soon overshadowed him. Plüschow was several times at odds with the law and charged with corruption of minors. Today, his photography is recognized for its artistic merits, but it generally is considered somewhat inferior to Gloeden's because of his less graceful handling of lighting and the sometimes strangely stilted poses of his models.

Biography

thumb|Male Nude Seated on Leopard Skin at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1890s–1900s]]

thumb|250px|left| Wilhelm von Pluschow – [[Vincenzo Galdi, Posillipo (Napoli), 1890]]

Not much is known about Plüschow's early life, except that he was born in Wismar in 1852 as the eldest of seven brothers and sisters. His father, Friedrich Carl Eduard Plüschow, was an illegitimate child of Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and the family home was Schloss Plüschow.

In the early 1870s, he moved to Rome and changed his first name from Wilhelm to its Italian equivalent, Guglielmo. Initially making a living as a wine merchant, he soon turned to male and female nude photography. Later he also worked in Naples.

One of Plüschow's more famous models was Vincenzo Galdi (pictured left), who was probably one of Plüschow's lovers. Galdi later became a photographer in his own right, as well as an art gallery owner.

In 1902, Plüschow, who was gay like Gloeden, was charged with "common procuration" and "seduction of minors" and had to spend eight months in jail. Another scandal followed in 1907, and in 1910, Plüschow left Italy for good and returned to Berlin. The accusations caused the police to seize a lot of his photographs, while Vincenzo Galdi was considered his accomplice.

In Steve Berman's short story "The Haferbräutigam", Plüschow has an encounter with a mischievous spirit while travelling back to Wismar in 1907.

<gallery>

File:Pluschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 10125 - da - Et in Arcadia ego p. 97.jpg|Boy Posed as John the Baptist

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. Al 0051.jpg|Algerian Boy

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 4006 - In - Zannier, p. 88 positivo.jpg|Young Man in the Nude

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 8503 - The Christian martyr.jpg|The Christian Martyr, Portrait of Nino Cesarini

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 9743 - Étude de Jeune Adolescent, 1895.jpg|Untitled

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 9903 - timbrato, e con timbro di Fotografia Aurora, Via Babuino, 103, Roma.jpg|Untitled

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 6423 recto - Galerie David Guiraud, Paris.jpg|Nude study

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n ... - Femme nue, ca.1900.jpg|Nude Woman

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. Al 0582.png|Algerian Boy

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 7383 - Galerie Bassenge.jpg|Untitled

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 6447 - Timbrato ebay.jpg|Untitled

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 11154 recto.jpg|Untitled

File:Plüschow, Wilhelm von (1852-1930) - n. 6429 - Ragazzo nero e donna.jpg|Interracial Couple

</gallery>

See also

References

Literature

  • Bernhard Albers (ed.), Galdi / Gloeden / Plüschow. Aktaufnahmen aus der Sammlung Uwe Scheid, Rimbaud Presse, Aachen 1993
  • Et in Arcadia ego. Fotografien von Wilhelm von Gloeden, Guglielmo Plüschow und Vincenzo Galdi, Edition Oehrli, Zurich 2000
  • Volker Janssen (ed.), Wilhelm von Gloeden, Wilhelm von Plüschow, Vincenzo Galdi: Italienische Jünglings-Photographien um 1900, Janssen Verlag, Berlin 1991
  • Marina Miraglia, Guglielmo Plüschow alla ricerca del bello ideale, in: "AFT (Archivio Fotografico Toscano)", IV 7, luglio 1988, pp.&nbsp;62–67
  • Ulrich Pohlmann, Wer war Guglielmo Plüschow?, "Fotogeschichte", n. 29, VIII 1988, pp.&nbsp;33–38.
  • Uwe Scheid, Il vero nudo: Aktstudien von Guglielmo Plüschow, "Fotogeschichte" n. 29, VIII 1988, pp.&nbsp;9–21.
  • Peter Weiermair, Guglielmo Plüschow, Taschen verlag, Köln 1994
  • Winckelmann (pseud.), A rediscovered boy-photographer. Guglielmo Plüschow (1852-1930), "Gayme" n. III 1, 1996, pp.&nbsp;22–30.
  • Catalogue of Wilhelm von Plüschow's pictures.
  • Biography and gallery of his works
  • Gallery on the official website of Schloss Plüschow
  • Biography with citations (in Italian) and gallery

Bibliography

  • Canet, Nicole (editor), von Plüschow, Galdi, von Gloeden - Beautés Siciliennes - Nicole Canet, Paris, 2014.