In the decades since then, Tom’s distinctive artistic style has been copied so many times by so many people that it has become almost impossible for anyone but an expert to tell many of his drawings from those that he inspired. Though he became particularly popular in America, the early 1970s saw his work being reproduced all over the world. publications, and Tom’s drawings reached a much wider circulation than they had in the years immediately following WWII. In the 1960s, greater sexual freedoms in general led to the decriminalization of male sexual images in U.S. Tom’s men were lumberjacks, and policemen, and sailors, and soldiers Tom’s men were men who clearly liked being men. Though many of his works were plainly homoerotic, they flew in the face of stereotypical views that saw gay men as weak or effeminate. When Tom went back to his art after the war, he was attracted by the juxtaposition of rebellion and regulation, and he started combining hyper-masculine male depictions (similar to those being drawn at the time by American artist George Quaintance) with symbols of authority, discipline, and strength. In a Europe that was becoming increasingly puritanical and regimented with the rise of National Socialism and Soviet Communism, Tom (perhaps rightly) thought that his images might place him or his family under scrutiny, so he destroyed nearly all of them.ĭuring his service in the Finnish army during World War II, Tom became fascinated with military symbols, uniforms, and badges of rank. Sadly, few of Tom’s earliest works survive. Tom of Finland began drawing images of well-muscled men while a student in Helsinki in the late 1930’s. Over the last half-century or more, Touko Laaksonen, known most commonly as Tom of Finland, has had a profound influence on LGBT iconography as a whole and has been universally recognized as the foundational figure behind many of the symbols commonly associated with leather culture throughout the world. Our first ‘Tom’ didn’t begin his life with that name it was chosen for him because it was easy for his English-speaking friends to pronounce. That inspiration is largely bound up in the histories of two men, both named Tom. In order to understand the story of The Baltimore Eagle and the symbol that represents it, we need to begin by understanding their inspiration.
We hope you come again soon, and that you always leave satisfied. In the spirit and tradition of fellowship, we promise to provide you with a safe, judgment-free space to congregate and celebrate your true self. The Baltimore Eagle pays homage to the history of the leather and kink communities. When patrons of The Eagle’s Nest left New York City, they carried with them that sense of community and The Eagle’s Nest served as inspiration for new Eagle bars that began opening doors in cities like San Francisco, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and even as far away as London. It was a “safe space” before that term became part of our vernacular.
Amid the tension of homophobia in their everyday life, these men found a place of respite at The Eagle’s Nest. Inside, the walls were painted black, biker groups and sports clubs began holding meetings, and soon the place became a popular spot for traditionally masculine-presenting gay men. This is where the first Eagle bar was born. The streets are still smoldering from the Stonewall Riots, “gay rights” has become a movement, and an old longshoreman’s tavern named Eagle Open Kitchen has just closed its doors.