A pair of bruisers
By: usermattw
Tags: photography, Pottsville, vintage photography
What it is:
Photo (slightly larger than 3.75 x 5.25 inches) mounted on cardboard frame/backing (6.5 x 9 inches; most of the backing has been cropped out of this scan).
What I know about it:
Photographer is Gauvin of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Otherwise undated and unidentified.
Comments:
These guys may actually be sweet as pie, but I still wouldn’t want to tangle with them in an alley. Not with those big, meaty fists. I thought it was odd that their jackets buttoned on different sides until I realized neither one has buttoned his jacket in the first place. So who are these guys? Brothers? I go back and forth as to whether their faces look similar enough, though that’s not a guarantee either way. Friends? Their poses lack any camaraderie, but maybe they aren’t comfortable in front of the camera. Circus performers getting their picture taken for publicity? Then why are they dressed like that? I really don’t know. But, as always, it’s fun to guess.
Pics of Then 
I’m guessing the jackets were borrowed, maybe from the photographer. They do look as if they could be related. I’d love to know more about them.
Borrowed jackets isn’t a bad idea, since they seem to fit a little differently in the sleeve length. They may be hanging loose so you don’t see the bulge from their guns. LOL
It seems telling that the outfits are so similar, but they’re not exactly alike, so that seems to remove the possibility of any kind of “uniform.” I would think regular guys would be unlikely to both wear light ties on the same day, though. Could it be some family occasion, like a wedding, where they were told to wear certain colors? I don’t know if there were such things as groomsmen then. The coat-on-different-sides thing is really puzzling. It sort of looks like it was done on purpose to be mirror-image-ly, but why?
That’s a good idea, that they might be part of a wedding party or something. Part of me thinks it would be a bit of an extravagance to photograph different members of the party separately, but it would makes sense based on the scant evidence we are given here.
To me they just look really uncomfortable, which therein lies the story for me. 🙂
I agree, they look like two guys who aren’t used to getting dressed up and receiving this kind of attention.