For the past twenty years, authors Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell were scavenging flea markets, estate sales, old suitcases, family archives, online auctions, and shoeboxes to collect 2,700 old photographs. All taken from the 1850s to 1950s, the sensitive pictures bear witness to the romance between men when male partnerships were illegal.
While compiling the book for the celebration of LGBTQ History Month in the US and sorting through the photos, Hugh and Neal noticed something mind-blowing. It was that the expression of love between these men that spanned different decades, centuries, and countries turned out to be almost identical. “They couldn’t have known about each other. Their [love] so similarly expressive—could only have emerged from their common humanity,” said the creators.
The captivating gazes and embracing poses reveal a world entirely different from the one we live in today. Taken in various settings, from military to domestic, and natural, the photos speak volumes about time-defying feelings of love and affection when societal norms had not matured just yet.
More info: Instagram | Loving1000.org
#27 Postcard: 1910, Provenance: Us. Note: “Cowboy Dance ‘Stag’, October 1910”
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