A very unusual and humorous tintype I wish I had in my collection. This teen is holding a doll in his arm with a cigar in the mouth, and is smiling with mirth while doing so. The cheeks were tinted by the studio artist. This was usually done in watercolors or oils.
A little fun fact: tintypes are mirror images of their subjects, so you’re looking at the reverse image of him as he was holding the doll with his left arm.
RPPC. Private Collection
This postcard is beat up and the back is almost completely erased by time. Someone drew a mustache on the Al Capone looking guy to the left. At first I was disappointed to see that, then it dawned on me it’s part of what makes it hilarious. Did one of the two others add it? The guy in the middle has quite the relaxed pose with his arms behind the necks of his friends. Don’t they look like your stereotypical 1930s gangsters? The suits and fedoras are fantastic.
Photographer: unknown. RPPC.
Dana B. Merrill among young, rowdy subjects. Circa 1910. Private Collection
Back. Click on the picture for larger format
Dana B. Merrill was a noted American photographer whose prints are still on sale today. I researched him based on the name and the N.H. in pencil I figured is New Hampshire.
Pals in crime. Private Collection.
A favorite of my collection. Who were these guys? Some look related and one is displaying amputated fingers. What’s his story? What’s theirs?
The one on the top right just saw a cop!
And every single one with his fedora and unlit cigarette in the mouth. One thing is sure, they were their own gang and must have had a good laugh looking at their picture.
This photograph gives me a good chuckle every time I see it.
Photographer: Unknown. RPPC.
Bowlers And High Collars 