Man in profile from Oakland, California

This is the fifth of a set of six photos my friend Jon gave me. While I love it, or I wouldn’t be posting it, it’s probably my least favorite of the six because I think it’s probably the least flattering to the subject. The pose and lighting seem to highlight his pudgy jaw, his receding hairline, etc. But then, I think such dramatic profiles were plenty popular in those days, and in many ways he reminds me of photos I’ve seen of Francis X. Bushman in profile, such as this one. At the height of his silent film career, Bushman was billed as “The Handsomest Man in the World”, which might be a bit surprising to people viewing him with modern tastes. Of course, tastes change, and it’s useful to keep that in mind when viewing our fellow from Oakland here. Still, for my money, he’s no Douglas Fairbanks. UPDATE: Oops, a reader pointed out that I referred to Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and linked to a photo of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Silly of me. It’s not like I don’t know the difference. The father is more period-correct for a comparison here, but I like the son’s photo enough to leave it here. So to be th0rough, here is a picture of the father.

3 comments on “Man in profile from Oakland, California”

21 Apr 2013 at 7:55 am Mrs. P
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The Sr. picture comes up with an error.

I have been wondering if anyone from the Oakland historical society would recognize any of the people in your series. They all look fairly well to do.
- 21 Apr 2013 at 12:41 pm usermattw
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  Jeez, I can’t seem to get anything right with this post. I changed the link to one that should work better.
  
  They do look like they may be people who might have left enough of a footprint that they would traceable today. And it’s interesting that these photos were at the Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale, since when I googled the photographer, samples of his work came up in the Museum’s collection.
  - 22 Apr 2013 at 5:22 am Mrs. P
    
    Intriguing….

Pics of Then