Affectionate men
By: usermattw
Tags: photography, vintage photography
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Yesterday’s post showed two men in what is sometimes referred to in vintage photography circles as an “affectionate pose”. It’s a term that gets thrown around especially when two men are deliberately touching each other in a way that seems intended to show a special bond, perhaps between close relatives or very good friends, or, sometimes, between people whose bond is more romantic. In this picture, we have some young men who seem to have no trouble displaying affection for each other, which I like. I don’t know who they are, or what their relationship is to each other. But I’m intrigued by some elements of the picture. What is the setting? The foliage appears to be artificially attached to a wall of painted-on bricks. Are these friends gathered on a photo studio set? Are these actors on a stage set? There’s an almost make-believe bravado to the way they’re posing with cigars in their mouths. It was printed as a real photo postcard, though the big margin on the right suggests the photo wasn’t originally taken with that in mind. The paper manufacturer’s logo on the back (Noko) narrows the date range to 1907-1920s, which I would have guessed, anyway. Like yesterday’s photo, this postcard is unmailed, but includes a name in the address area, in this case “Mr. James Anderson, Mandan, N. Dak”. If memory serves, the two images came from the same dealer at last week’s book fair, but I’m not sure if the fact that they are both addressed to people in North Dakota is anything more than a coincidence. UPDATE: I somehow missed what appears to be a paint smudge on the pant leg of the guy second from the left, which gives added weight to the idea that this is the setting for some sort of theatrical endeavor.
Pics of Then 
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