“LOVING: A Photographic History” is a new photography book by husbands Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell. The project began 20 years ago, when they stumbled across a box of old photographs in an antique store in Dallas. Among them was a picture of two men who appeared to be a couple.
Explains Nini and Treadwell:
Our collection began twenty years ago when we came across an old photo that we thought was one of a kind. The subjects in this vintage photo were two young men, embracing and gazing at one another–clearly in love.
We looked at that photo, and it seemed to look back at us. And in that singular moment, it reflected us back to ourselves. These two young men, in front of a house, were embracing and looking at one another in a way that only two people in love would do.
Dating sometime around 1920, the young men were dressed unremarkably; the setting was suburban and out in the open. The open expression of the love that they shared also revealed a moment of determination. Taking such a photo, during a time when they would have been less understood than they would be today, was not without risk.
We were intrigued that a photo like this could have survived into the twenty-first century. Who were they? And how did their snapshot end up at an antique shop in Dallas, Texas, bundled together with a stash of otherwise ordinary vintage photos?
From there, Nini and Treadwell began collecting vintage photos of men in love dating between 1845 and 1955. Now, they’ve compiled their collection into a stunning 336-page coffee table book of never-before-published images, including snapshots, portraits, and group photos.
“LOVING: A Photographic History” is currently available for pre-order. It hits bookstores on October 14.
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Kangol2
This couple who created the documentary know that there are past portraits of same-sex couples who aren’t White, right? Or is that their focus, because if so, they should say so. Or is it Queerty that selected the photos for this article, contributing to historical erasure? Either way, not a good look for what could have been a very positive article and topic.
michael_totzke
Really ?! That’s all you have to say ?! … Cancel culture at its finest.
Aaron
Yeah, I have definitely seen some photos of gay couples of color somewhere. This coffee table book is definitely for the 40+ gay White men crowd lol
Aj76
I’m not even white & im sick of all this bullshit… all I see in western/European societies these days is that you’re almost not allowed to be white… it’s like as if every white person is expected to pay the price for all the wrongs their ancestors had done in the past… enough is enough. I don’t see people in African countries or Middle Eastern countries fighting for the rights of minorities! Go see how minorities are treated in those countries till this day. I’m not saying 2 wrongs make a right… but seriously people, don’t pick on every bloody little thing. Just enjoy those photos & be grateful that we as gay people are living in this day & age in a Western/European society that has acknowledged us as (LGBTQI+) being human… we are treated worse than animals in the M.E. & Africa… so again I will clarify & say that I don’t think 2 wrongs make a right & that we have a very long way to go to end all hatred, racism, homophobia etc… but we sure have come a long way. So stop being a whinging bitch & just enjoy the album for what it is.
(Again, I’m not white)
Kangol2
@Aj76, whether you’re White or not, who cares? I asked a question: this book is called “LOVING: A Photographic History,” and spans a sizable historical period, but it’s clearly a very specific take. Maybe the book includes photos of a range of male couples, maybe not. Maybe Queerty selected the few from IG, who knows? If it’s just a photo book of White couples, just say that. Among the first people punished by Puritan authorities in the English colonies for same sexual acts was a Black person. Rather than engaging with my question, you became hysterical. Also, before you make pronouncements about people in Asia and the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, etc., you could expend a bit of effort and you’d see that you are completely wrong. People in all of those regions ARE fighting for LGBTQ rights. What that has to do with this book is beyond me, but clearly, you felt the need to go there.
Raphael
I’ve seen this being advertised somewhere else, and it has black couples as well. Maybe your comment should be addressed to Queerty, not the couple who created the documentary.
michael_totzke
OK … I’m in tears… Very moving; very beautiful.
hughman55
Thank you Michael:)
BaltoSteve
Or is it possible that those photos aren’t as readily available to them? As they admit to diving through antique stores and the like to find the photos for the collection, AND this country has a history of abuse toward POC, perhaps not has many photos survived.
So perhaps instead of the project being an active project of erasure, it illustrates the the historical and systemic abuse of POC in this country by highlighting the LACK of photographic relics.
SPEEDOSWIMMER
Exactly! Amen!
hughman55
Steve, you are exactly correct. Photos of POC couples are extremely rare. We have collected every single one that we’ve come across over the past 20 years. I think we have about 30, out of thousands. We don’t know why they’re so rare, but as you suggested the historical disenfranchisement of African Americans, overall, is probably the reason. This is an issue for someone well above our paygrade.
Prax07
@kangol2 STFU
Kangol2
No, you STFU. If you don’t like my point, fine. You’ve said in the past you’re a racist, so it’s clear where you’re coming from.
woodroad34
Very sweet and innocent. But I stop to wonder, since these aren’t ‘selfies’, per se…a third party took them, if any of these pictures were used as blackmail given the times?
Troysky
@woodroad34 …..true, it is that question and so many more that these pictures can provoke. …really stunning and beautifully done video….don’t miss it.
hughman55
Wood, the ability to take your photo yourself dates back to at least 1902. We cover that in our essay at the front of the book. And on page 297 there is a photo taken around 1900 that we call the first selfie of a romantic male couple.
ingyaom
When I see pictures like this I wonder if the subjects were friends, brothers or just 2 guys playing around for a joke. Some of these photos may be of gay couples, but I think men were more affectionate with each other in the past.
Oranos
Agreed. Men were much more openly affectionate in the past. They would lean up against each other, put their arms around each other. Some of these look to me like “best friend” photos, rather than “men-in-love” photos. Like John Travolta in “Grease” in 1978, where he’s got his arms around his best friend’s shoulders.
Heck, when I was growing up in the ’50s, men did that all the time. Nobody thought of it as “queer” at all. It’s only been since gay culture came out of the closet that men STOPPED doing that with their friends!!
justgeo
Help them find pix of black gay couples!
Mack
May not find any because for years and years the POC insisted that there were no gay POC. Maybe they didn’t take pictures or kept them very private. But search your heart out.
Kangol2
@Mack, there are quite a few. In fact, the artist Glen Ligon created an online piece years ago featuring some of them.
hughman55
We have POC in our collection and in our book. We don’t know who made this photo choice for Queerty. It wasn’t us.
Kevan1
@Aaron gay love at any age is great. Not sure why a book for 50+ White gay men comes into play. Sounds a little reverse racist and ageist. I started collecting vintage gay couple photos in my 20’s. Black, Latino, Asian etc. are much harder and rarer to find to answer some questions about the race of men in photos. They are out there, just really hard to find.
hughman55
Thank you Kevan. That is exactly our experience too. POC couples are extremely rare and when we have found them they have often cost us a small fortune.
Durwood
We can’t impose our modern interpretation on monochrome photogenic bro-love, however how much I wish they were homo-everafter. I suspect being gay back then must’ve been truly horrendous, different times. How lucky are we today.
dustychiffon
This topic always seems like a big stretch. Social norms and customs were very different back then, and men showed affection much more than they do now, so it’s impossible to tell at best.
That’s not to say that some of these pictures aren’t gay in nature, but it’s also just as fair to say we’ll never know.
Gadfeal
Such photographs were mostly NOT indicative of homosexual relationships. In the 19th Century, photography was expensive with usually one photographer in a small town. It is highly unlikely that homosexual couples would openly go into a photographer’s to create images that could be misinterpreted.
Especially when there were long periods of male only company – before proper roads and trains, men working on sites, railroads, cattle and farming, for example, spent months on the road. Since contact with females was verboten in public, the men often had “bromances”, even playfully horsing around and sitting on laps in photographs. They may even have had “parties” with male on male couples dancing. However, the vast majority were not homosexual.
The very concept of two men intimate was alien to most Americans. It’s the fault of Sigmund Freud who had this obsessive idea that mental illness was precipitated by repressed or latent homosexuality that the term “homosexual” and public media gave a label on which religious and bigots could hang their prejudicial hatred.
Thirty yeas ago, I observed this first hand in rural Italy. Italian youth at that time wandered about in groups of 10 or so, holding hands and touching amply. But they were not gay – just warm and accustomed to the “baccia” from childhood.
Today, I understand that the mass media and spread of US productions has led to modern reticence of young Italians to be physically as comfortable.
calpoidog
Exactly. Assuming male couples are gay just because they have an arm around another male’s shoulder is ridiculous.
lord.krath
@kangol
You realize your comment is precisely why Trump’s anti PC support resonates with people?
Why do people make everything about themselves or others? Make your own dang book if your so suspicious of others motives.
Seriously, turn your gaze elsewhere. There are definitely people out there that hate you and it isn’t your own community.
That said, these are great pictures. And no, I did not notice the lack of diversity. I don’t think it’s deliberate. These pictures are just more proof that we’ve always been here. Now if we could just get proof from the early days before Abrahamic religions spawned… unfortunately, mostly lost to time.
Human love is as universal as hate. We should celebrate it where ever we can.
SPEEDOSWIMMER
Thank you! Amen!
hughman55
Beautifully said Lord.Krath. Thank you.
Michael1500
@Kangol: Give it a rest, man. Don’t you ever get tired of trying to spot racism in “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” or in a goldfish bowl? I was raised in a liberal environment by liberal parents, and have not a drop of racism in my blood. But this “racism” issue has been run into the ground. Yes, the past is a sad commentary and we plead GUILTY. In regard to being more fair and non-discriminating, let’s be reasonable. Our black population is 12.8% of the total population. Yet, they demand to be represented by more than one-half or more of every advertisement, on every committee or board, sampling of any kind, and every other sampling or cross-section of this country. Anyone and everyone who even questions this steam-rolling method of “reparations” is instantly labeled as a racist.
SPEEDOSWIMMER
Kangol has some serious chips on his shoulders if he’s politicizing everything.
He’s TOXIC.
hughman55
We would like to clarify the photo selection that has been an important topic here. We have collected photos of loving male couples for over 20 years. Our collection currently numbers in the thousands. In all the years of collecting, we have acquired every photo of black and brown couples we have come across. Every single one. Sadly, the total number we’ve come across is about 30. Two of those were clear enough to be included in our book. However, like other photos in our collection, some were slightly out of focus or had poor resolution and couldn’t be used in our book. And, just like the few black or brown couples who’s resolution and quality were poor, the vast majority of photos of light skinned couples were also excluded from our book, due to poor resolution or being out of focus. The fact is, photos of black or brow loving male couples are extremely rare. And when they become available there is a lot of demand and they therefore go for very high prices. We have paid a small fortune for the few we have. We don’t know why they are so rare, but our guess would be that it has something to do with the historical disenfranchisement of African American, and brown, people throughout the history of this country. The two photos of African American couples in our book are really very touching and we’re glad to have them to share with the world. The reception so far has been overwhelming and uplifting.
SPEEDOSWIMMER
Thank you!!!