Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s
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- Create Date：2021-06-02 10:54:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Hugh Nini
- ISBN：8874399286
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Summary
Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love， 1850-1950 portrays the history of romantic love between men in hundreds of moving and tender vernacular photographs taken between the years 1850 and 1950。 This visual narrative of astonishing sensitivity brings to light an until-now-unpublished collection of hundreds of snapshots， portraits， and group photos taken in the most varied of contexts， both private and public。
Taken when male partnerships were often illegal， the photos here were found at flea markets， in shoe boxes， family archives， old suitcases， and later online and at auctions。 The collection now includes photos from all over the world: Australia， Bulgaria， Canada， Croatia， France， Germany， Japan， Greece， Latvia， the United States， the United Kingdom， Russia， and Serbia。 The subjects were identified as couples by that unmistakable look in the eyes of two people in love - impossible to manufacture or hide。 They were also recognized by body language - evidence as subtle as one hand barely grazing another - and by inscriptions， often coded。
Included here are ambrotypes， daguerreotypes， glass negatives， tin types， cabinet cards， photo postcards， photo strips， photomatics， and snapshots - over 100 years of social history and the development of photography。
In these delight-filled pages， couples in love tell their own story for the first time at a time when joy and hope - indeed human connectivity - are crucial lifelines to our better selves。 Universal in reach and overwhelming in impact， Loving speaks to our spirit and resilience， our capacity for bliss， and our longing for the shared truths of love。
Taken when male partnerships were often illegal， the photos here were found at flea markets， in shoe boxes， family archives， old suitcases， and later online and at auctions。 The collection now includes photos from all over the world: Australia， Bulgaria， Canada， Croatia， France， Germany， Japan， Greece， Latvia， the United States， the United Kingdom， Russia， and Serbia。 The subjects were identified as couples by that unmistakable look in the eyes of two people in love - impossible to manufacture or hide。 They were also recognized by body language - evidence as subtle as one hand barely grazing another - and by inscriptions， often coded。
Included here are ambrotypes， daguerreotypes， glass negatives， tin types， cabinet cards， photo postcards， photo strips， photomatics， and snapshots - over 100 years of social history and the development of photography。
In these delight-filled pages， couples in love tell their own story for the first time at a time when joy and hope - indeed human connectivity - are crucial lifelines to our better selves。 Universal in reach and overwhelming in impact， Loving speaks to our spirit and resilience， our capacity for bliss， and our longing for the shared truths of love。
Reviews
Daniel 丹
，
No spoilers， just one word - fabulous！
Kristin
，
What a stunning collection。 I only wish that each photo's source information was included adjacent to each picture， rather than in an appendix。 What a stunning collection。 I only wish that each photo's source information was included adjacent to each picture， rather than in an appendix。 。。。more
Holly
，
A stunning photographic account of the intimacy and comfort that being in love has to offer。 These gorgeous photographs of men in love melted my heart and put a massive smile on my dial。 We got this book in at work and it's instantly become a staff pick。 Can't wait to recommend this one！ A stunning photographic account of the intimacy and comfort that being in love has to offer。 These gorgeous photographs of men in love melted my heart and put a massive smile on my dial。 We got this book in at work and it's instantly become a staff pick。 Can't wait to recommend this one！ 。。。more
Ted
，
Awesome
Sarah
，
This was a neat collection！ I really enjoyed flipping through it。 I wish a few things however。 I agree with this review; I wish there was greater racial and cultural representation。 I also wish that they had put the provenance of each photo on the page with it。 This was a neat collection！ I really enjoyed flipping through it。 I wish a few things however。 I agree with this review; I wish there was greater racial and cultural representation。 I also wish that they had put the provenance of each photo on the page with it。 。。。more
Jim Lewis
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Beautiful portraits （photographic） of men in love。 It is an amazing collection。
Dana
，
"someone， I tell you， will remember us， even in another time。" "someone， I tell you， will remember us， even in another time。" 。。。more
Steven
，
A truly undeniable collection of historical and culture value is featured in these pages！ Many of these photos display men with serious expressions in what could be ambiguously interpreted poses; however， look for the points of touch， follow their sight lines， take in their expressions。 Pure joy is evident in a number of these photos， capturing moments of freely indulged emotion during typically masked time periods。Favorite images include:p30 - for that sly， yet bold grab！p64 - for its unmistake A truly undeniable collection of historical and culture value is featured in these pages！ Many of these photos display men with serious expressions in what could be ambiguously interpreted poses; however， look for the points of touch， follow their sight lines， take in their expressions。 Pure joy is evident in a number of these photos， capturing moments of freely indulged emotion during typically masked time periods。Favorite images include:p30 - for that sly， yet bold grab！p64 - for its unmistakeable cuteness。p89 - for the unwavering confidence and determination to be so ballsy in such an era。p109 - for capturing "the look。"p118 （top right） - for eye-catching composition。p191 - for certain chemistry。p279 - for perfect positioning。p304-305 - for that affectionate leg loop！ 。。。more
Katie
，
I considered taking one star off because the forward was not very good at all （I mean， pretentious and rambling， super repetitive， trying way too hard to be deep） but the rest of it was so delightful I couldn't。 The introduction by Hugh and Neal was really interesting。 It goes over how they began their collection 20 years ago and how the project grew; they also share some stories about the photographs and trends they noticed across the years and between countries。 They make use some of the simil I considered taking one star off because the forward was not very good at all （I mean， pretentious and rambling， super repetitive， trying way too hard to be deep） but the rest of it was so delightful I couldn't。 The introduction by Hugh and Neal was really interesting。 It goes over how they began their collection 20 years ago and how the project grew; they also share some stories about the photographs and trends they noticed across the years and between countries。 They make use some of the similarities that can be found to make the point that love is a universal experience not defined by gender， country， or time。 To this end， none of the pictures are labeled and they are not arranged chronologically or geographically but by theme。 However， if you want more info， you can turn to the index at the best where the provenance， year， and info is listed - if any of it is known。 Sometimes it's very simple， with an approximate year and location， maybe with a simple note like "Frank and Bill at the beach"， that sort of thing。 Sometimes there is a note written to the recipient of the photo。 Sometimes there are jokes or cheeky references to the relationship between the two men。 I found myself flipping back and forth to compare the images and the notes on them， but if you want to focus purely on the photographs， there is that option too。 Hugh and Neal have a collection of several thousand of these photographs by now。 They said in an interview that they narrowed it down by only including the ones where they were positive of the romantic relationship， and where the quality of the image was good enough for reprinting。 Still， I hope that one day they will be able to publish another book with more photographs， because I would love to see more。 They also stated that they are trying to find more photographs of men of color， which is underrepresented right now。 They otherwise have made a good effort to represent different countries， classes， urban vs country， and age， so I believe them when they say they are making an earnest effort to find more。 It's a coffee table book， so it really doesn't take long to get through， but I recommend taking a moment to really take in every photograph。 We know so little of the lives of the men pictures。 We don't know if they stayed together the rest of their lives， or if it was a fling， or if they were separated by circumstance or death。 But we know that on that day， they loved one another enough to want a memento of their feelings， at a time when the wrong person becoming suspicious could result in ostracization or imprisonment。 That speaks to the feeling that must be behind every one。 I thought it was beautiful。 。。。more
Jonathan
，
Pretty extraordinary。
Denver Public Library
，
This now famous collection of photographs began with a serendipitous purchase at a flea market。 Nini and Treadwell recognized romantic love between the men in the photograph， echoing their own relationship。 The two have been married since 1992。 Over the years they added photographs to the collection reproduced in this volume。
Michael
，
This book is like a Negroni cocktail at a hotel piano bar where you just want to sip it an enjoy it slowly over the evening。 It is sweet like the moments when the photos were taken， yet bitter when realizing the context of history for when they were often surreptitiously taken at a time when love had to be hidden in plain sight。 I’m honored to have a signed edition （582/1000） by the authors who have put decades of love into this incredible project。 I’ve been savoring this book a few pages at a t This book is like a Negroni cocktail at a hotel piano bar where you just want to sip it an enjoy it slowly over the evening。 It is sweet like the moments when the photos were taken， yet bitter when realizing the context of history for when they were often surreptitiously taken at a time when love had to be hidden in plain sight。 I’m honored to have a signed edition （582/1000） by the authors who have put decades of love into this incredible project。 I’ve been savoring this book a few pages at a time over the last few months。Additionally， the design， layout， and paper and print quality of the book will make this a collector’s item for years to come。 。。。more
Thijs Werkman
，
Een prachtig boek met een bijzondere collectie foto’s。Ik vind het geen heel groot probleem dat je niet bij alle foto’s 100% zeker weet dat het gaat om de liefde tussen 2 mannen。 Maar de kans is zeker groot er is goed onderzoek gedaan en uit het voorwoord en nawoord blijkt dat ze eventuele familie/personen hebben opgezocht die gerelateerd zouden kunnen zijn aan de foto。 Ook stond er op veel foto’s een tekst。 Het boek is origineel en mooi uitgegeven。 Ik vind het een mooie gedachte dat in de period Een prachtig boek met een bijzondere collectie foto’s。Ik vind het geen heel groot probleem dat je niet bij alle foto’s 100% zeker weet dat het gaat om de liefde tussen 2 mannen。 Maar de kans is zeker groot er is goed onderzoek gedaan en uit het voorwoord en nawoord blijkt dat ze eventuele familie/personen hebben opgezocht die gerelateerd zouden kunnen zijn aan de foto。 Ook stond er op veel foto’s een tekst。 Het boek is origineel en mooi uitgegeven。 Ik vind het een mooie gedachte dat in de periode waaruit deze foto’s komen （1850-1950） er familie/vrienden waren die achter deze mannen stonden en de liefde tussen deze mensen fotografeerden。 。。。more
Trevor
，
Absolutely beautiful
Peter
，
This is a beautiful collection of photos and wonderful to browse。 I only take issue with the collectors describing the collection as "universal"。 Like so much of queer culture， the collection offers on a slice of man-man love （an almost exclusively white slice） and calls it universal。 The essay supporting interpretation of the collection is missing an important analysis of: who is missing？ And why？ This is a beautiful collection of photos and wonderful to browse。 I only take issue with the collectors describing the collection as "universal"。 Like so much of queer culture， the collection offers on a slice of man-man love （an almost exclusively white slice） and calls it universal。 The essay supporting interpretation of the collection is missing an important analysis of: who is missing？ And why？ 。。。more
Mr_nobody13
，
Love finds a way。。。
Janet
，
Gorgeous！ I want to know more about all of these beautiful men。 Who are they？ What are their wonderful stories？ Such love and comfort depicted here。 Sweet and uplifting。
TheCritterRick
，
Very sweet， moving， book。
Dana Sweeney
，
This is such a moving and important photographic collection。 These photographs were assembled over the course of decades， primarily from old photos that the collectors （Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell） found jumbled in flea market bins across the United States， Canada， Australia， and most of Europe。 The care in their curation and preservation are plain to see， and a gift to readers。 I’m so glad this collection exists to recover and expand the queer historical record between 1850 and 1950。Turning th This is such a moving and important photographic collection。 These photographs were assembled over the course of decades， primarily from old photos that the collectors （Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell） found jumbled in flea market bins across the United States， Canada， Australia， and most of Europe。 The care in their curation and preservation are plain to see， and a gift to readers。 I’m so glad this collection exists to recover and expand the queer historical record between 1850 and 1950。Turning through the pages of this book was a surprisingly emotional experience。 As the photos were nearly all found discarded by Nini and Treadwell without context， the people shown within them are anonymous。 There are no captions。 No names。 No year。 No certainty of place。 No knowledge of how these men came together， or what will become of them。 No narrative。 The images feel， for this reason， fleeting and ephemeral。 And yet: the purpose of taking these photographs for their subjects was， presumably， permanence。 To document， and by documentation prove， the existence of something that was not supposed to: queer love and intimacy。 Even beyond the striking subjects of the photographs， this is a gorgeous record of the first century of photography。 The composition of the photographs， the production quality， the cameras involved — the visual artistry and breadth of technique drew my attention as well as the indelible couples captured。 It’s amazing that these photographs exist， and breathtaking to see the experiments in form and approach that people took to photograph a dangerous kind of love。 My one sore wish is that the book had done more to include greater racial diversity — there is a lot of need for improvement in the collection。 Nearly all （not all， but nearly all） of the men in the book are white。 I understand that there is a mountain of history that produced vast， racist gaps in the overall photographic record。 I understand that finding these photos， as needles in haystacks， is difficult and time consuming and largely down to luck。 Still。 As I （a queer white man） moved through the book， part of the emotive experience was seeing images that recover something precious from historical erasure。 In a book that resists historical erasure in such important ways， the large absence of people of color feels conspicuously like its own kind of erasure。 I wish it were better， but must note the incompletion。 Overall， for what it is: I do think this is a really special collection。 The range of emotions and dispositions captured — playful， smitten， intimate， defiant， cozy， sexy， proud， graceful， stoic， private， public， pastoral — was beautiful。 I am very appreciative of the curatorial work that went into this collection and am so glad to have these photographs。 。。。more
Rick
，
I got this as a birthday gift for myself。 Since I’d first heard of this volume’s pending publication， I was intrigued and fascinated with the tantalizing images that reviews and advertisements were teasing me with。 I knew I wanted it。 I thought about waiting for a “publisher’s overstock” sale， but once I saw it in a bookstore， I knew I had to support the very concept of this type of collection。 And I’m glad I did。 Yes， this book is expensive。 But it is printed on high quality paper and with a so I got this as a birthday gift for myself。 Since I’d first heard of this volume’s pending publication， I was intrigued and fascinated with the tantalizing images that reviews and advertisements were teasing me with。 I knew I wanted it。 I thought about waiting for a “publisher’s overstock” sale， but once I saw it in a bookstore， I knew I had to support the very concept of this type of collection。 And I’m glad I did。 Yes， this book is expensive。 But it is printed on high quality paper and with a solid， durable binding。 But really it is the subject matter of the photographs that is the real treasure。 In their introduction， Nini & Treadwell， the collectors， outline the parameters for what type of photos they had decided to collect and what they have decided to include from their collection in this volume。 And I have to admit that of their criteria are aspects that had occurred to me as I was contemplating those prepublication photos that I saw。 All but one criteria that is。 They did not mention a scenario of how SOME of these photos could have been taken that seems very plausible， at least to me。 Please， do not take this the wrong way， I’m thinking that only a small handful of some of the earliest photos in this collection MIGHT possibly have been created under these conditions。 In the early days of photography， it was not uncommon for photographers to either hire or get volunteers to pose for pictures。 In these incidents， the subjects may never have even had their photograph taken before， it could quite literally be the first time in their life that they had even considered the thought of their picture being taken。 And the thought that the result of this “picture taking” pose could outlive them by， potentially， a hundred years or more would have been inconceivable。 Today， this is a frame of mind， a perspective that we can not even begin to grasp。 Today we take photos with out phones or cameras without giving it a second thought。 We chronicle our lives in photos in the assumption that this completely normal and has likely always been and always will be。 But that is not the reality of the era from which these photos were taken。 The photographer may have been the one who “posed” the subjects。 They may have had little or no input or contribution to what was being photographed， other than that they were present。 Again， if something like this scenario is represented among these photographs， it is certainly a very， very small number。 I just feel that possibility should be recognized for what it is: a possibility。 But beyond that， the vast majority of these photographs are magnificent and beautifully reproduced。 I was even enormously pleased to see the scratches， flaws， imperfections and stains-of-age in the photos。 These add an authenticity to the photos that solidifies their temporal endurance。 Without doubt or reservation， I will treasure this book for the rest of my life。 。。。more
Monika
，
What a beautiful collection of photographs in a really gorgeous book！
Timothy Olsen
，
Beautiful。
Jeremy Ellis
，
I。 cried。 Seriously， this was a sleeper hit for Christmas that I gave my fiancee。 I came across this title during a random deeplink in some news story I was reading and I quickly became engrossed in the entire backstory for this collection。 It was difficult to find a copy of the book but finally it arrived in plenty of time to wrap it up for Christmas but before doing so I thumbed through it。 I was hooked。 There was one particular photo （"Not married， but willing to be"） that summed up the love， I。 cried。 Seriously， this was a sleeper hit for Christmas that I gave my fiancee。 I came across this title during a random deeplink in some news story I was reading and I quickly became engrossed in the entire backstory for this collection。 It was difficult to find a copy of the book but finally it arrived in plenty of time to wrap it up for Christmas but before doing so I thumbed through it。 I was hooked。 There was one particular photo （"Not married， but willing to be"） that summed up the love， anguish， struggle， and fight that has persisted through the decades to bring us to where we are now， where I can marry my most special guy。 I'm not an overly emotional person， I can think of a handful of times in my life that I've cried but this book pushed every button at once。 An absolutely fantastic collection， I cannot express how inspiring it is to flip through these photos。 Excellent job - my compliments to the authors :） 。。。more
Amheliie Amheliie
，
Gros coup cœur remplis d'émotions pour ce magnifique livre ！ 🥰🥰🥰 Gros coup cœur remplis d'émotions pour ce magnifique livre ！ 🥰🥰🥰 。。。more
Brian Kovesci
，
This makes me so fucking happy。
All My Friends Are Fictional
，
All great and fun， but on the whole， this compilation is extremely one-dimensional。 And if you take a look at the authors， you realize that they basically were collecting pictures that mirrored them as a couple。
Atla Marie
，
Sooooo incredibly beautiful。 I wish I had a bookshelf or display table that could do it justice， but for now I'll keep it safe in the mess that is my current living situation。 "These images from around the world also demonstrate the technical evolution of photography and reveal shared affection and mutual delight: they transcend time， place， gender， orientation and speak to our universal longing for love"。I'm always delighted when I discover that the world is braver and more loving than I previo Sooooo incredibly beautiful。 I wish I had a bookshelf or display table that could do it justice， but for now I'll keep it safe in the mess that is my current living situation。 "These images from around the world also demonstrate the technical evolution of photography and reveal shared affection and mutual delight: they transcend time， place， gender， orientation and speak to our universal longing for love"。I'm always delighted when I discover that the world is braver and more loving than I previously imagined， so THANK YOU Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell for collecting and publishing this <3 。。。more
David
，
A collection that is by turns deeply moving， joyful and astonishing。 An important piece history。
Suus
，
This is a book that radiates joy。 The large amount of pictures of men in love， because undoubtedly that's what each and every one of them is， allows us to briefly experience their relationship。 We， though photographs taken so many years ago， are allowed in for just that snapshot in time。 While flipping through， I could not help but wonder: who are they？ How did they meet？ For the most part， they remain anonymous， which is perhaps part of the beauty of this book。 Couples smiling， touching， holdin This is a book that radiates joy。 The large amount of pictures of men in love， because undoubtedly that's what each and every one of them is， allows us to briefly experience their relationship。 We， though photographs taken so many years ago， are allowed in for just that snapshot in time。 While flipping through， I could not help but wonder: who are they？ How did they meet？ For the most part， they remain anonymous， which is perhaps part of the beauty of this book。 Couples smiling， touching， holding each other， posing on a cardboard moon and embracing on the beach: their poses， their happiness， transcend time。 There are some things to be critical off: there are- as far as I could tell- only two black couples depicted， the majority of the men in this book are white。 This could have to do with a myriad of things， social-economic backgrounds， access to a photocamera， racism， but also with availability or the collectors themselves。 Additionally， I felt Nini and Treadwell could have been a little more engaging with current queer history scholarship， for example when they discuss how these men could have had their photographs taken。 （There were queer photography studios， especially in urban centres as New York or London that had a massive queer subculture！） But， overall， this book is incredible， wonderful， and I hope the authors continue to collect more， and more photographs so that there may be more books like these。 Books like these go a long way to prove that queer history is not just miserable， as some pop culture would have us believe。 Gay people were happy， lived entire lives and documented it in photographs。 。。。more
♣ Irish Smurfétté ♣
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