Man with rifle
By: usermattw
Tags: hunting, photography, rifle, vintage photography
What it is:
Three photos, the top two two measuring 3.25 x 35.5 inches, the bottom one measuring 5.25 x 3 inches.
What I know about them:
See comments below.
Comments:
Fellow blogger Chris over at Static Instants once asked if I had any vintage pictures of guns. I didn’t think I had, not even among the photos of people in the military, but I’ve since come across some, including a bunch of five photos I had forgotten about. Four show guns, and here are three (the fourth is nearly the same as the top left, and the fifth is a scene of fishing). They all have remnants of being mounted into an album or onto some other backing. Somebody wrote information on the backs in pencil, then stuffed them into an envelope on which was written 1911 Golf Fishing and Guns pictures 1911. The information on the photos is vague, things like hunter or log cabin. The dates on the photos themselves range from 1903 to 1910, and two nearly identical photos, clearly separate shots of the same occasion, are dated 1903 and 1910. Finally, the writing includes prices. So I’m guessing that the writing is probably from a dealer, and is probably just guesswork on the dealer’s part. I personally would have guessed that these photos were a little more recent, though perhaps somebody else could provide a more educated assessment. Regardless, they are old, and I think they’re interesting. I assume they are all the same man, though I can’t be 100% certain. I can also only guess at his relationship to the woman who is giving him pointers (literally). The bottom photo looks almost like a suburban back yard, so I’m guessing (hoping) he’s simply posing with the gun, rather than shooting it. And the bag he’s wearing in the top left photo is interesting, hanging under his left arm with a strap (it’s hard to see in this picture) that goes across his chest and over his right shoulder. It looks almost too nice, like a briefcase, so I’m curious about it. Anyway, enjoy these. Yes, I take requests. 🙂
Pics of Then 
I wonder if it is a shell bag.
Could be!