Over the course of the past few days, I have been featuring vintage photos of male couples dating from the 1850s through the 1950s on my Facebook page. They are very romantic but more importantly, they illustrate how the power of love can override other concerns.
Many of the photos clearly show love in these men’s eyes. The holding of hands; a head resting on his boyfriend’s shoulder; a hug, an embrace, their bodies intertwined in the grass or in bed, fully clothed, mind you; the photo booth strips; and yes, even a loving kiss. Men in uniform, men in suits, working-class men, farmers, cowboys (yes!), in swimwear--or shockingly--in their underwear!
These photos are astounding! In a modern context, perhaps not. But historically, these photos come from a time when these men were of the “unspeakable.” Criminal. Deviants. Perverts.
And to dare to photograph themselves together strongly illustrated their commitment to one another. In their times, these photos could lead to their arrest, their deaths, or depending on where they lived, they risked being lobotomized. They risked being ostracized from their friends, their jobs, their families.
For these photos, for their love, they risked everything. It is, according to the authors of the book "Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love," even more amazing so many of these photos still exist as in many cases the families of these men, when discovering the photos, were horrified and destroyed them.
Photo-developing houses of the day would often refuse to develop these photos and to add to the insult, they might report the men to the police. And still, these men persisted in documenting their love for posterity for all, or none, to see.
All for love.
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