Man with eye injury and his friend. Tintype. Private Collection.
This unfortunate gent with the injured eye had to wear a bandage wrapped around the head for his portrait picture. He looks so down. Was he in pain and worried he’d lost an eye for good? Let’s hope he fully recovered, otherwise he was going to have to get used to it and looking at his expression he wasn’t in the least thrilled.
His friend is wearing a lucky horseshoe tie stack…I wonder if he was with the other man when the accident happened. They have boutonnieres too, one has it on the coat lapel and the other on the cravat. But if they attended an event that day, this poor lad doesn’t look like he was in the best mood to be social.
Today is not my day…pout.
Also, the backdrop design looks Arabic with a tall waterfall in the background. The right panel looks like a completely separate design, the painted window looking more American with the bottom panel supposed to slide up.
Bowlers And High Collars 
October 27th, 2015 at 5:08 pm
I can see what you mean about the backdrop. It is like two separate ones have been sliced down the middle and joined together .
With your description of the details it makes me think this was a wedding celebration gone awry! Great find. Love it!
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October 27th, 2015 at 5:10 pm
It didn’t even cross my mind the injury could have occurred *at* the event. I’m guilty of laughing now!
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October 28th, 2015 at 11:39 pm
Good for you. It is so much fun playing “guess the circumstances ” with old photos!!
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October 27th, 2015 at 7:26 pm
Why is it that this poor man’s mishap and his unhappy day makes my day a little lighter? I can’t help but smile (and laugh a little) at the dour look on his face. I wonder how they persuaded him to be in the photo in the first place?
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October 27th, 2015 at 8:07 pm
I too imagine he had to be nudged some to agree to pose like this. :) I’m also guilty of finding humor in this picture. It must be his expression, almost child-like.
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October 30th, 2015 at 5:33 pm
“Today is not my day… pout” hahahahaha!!! I don’t think the injury was too bad if he posed for this picture, at least I hope so!
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October 30th, 2015 at 7:32 pm
Let’s really hope he did recover and could finally laugh at his picture (like we are) :)~
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