Sunday, September 20, 2009

Portrait of a Young Man, May 21, 1877








William L. McCullough, Allie's older brother, 22 years old.
Posted by Dusty D at 9/20/2009 02:14:00 PM
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10 comments :

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this! He's handsome, yet kind of wild looking! Nice to see the photo of the young man who lived in my house long ago! KP

September 20, 2009 at 9:39 PM
Dusty D said...

You're most welcome! It is a compelling portrait, isn't it? He has a fiery mien, but not unmixed with sadness. And I love his unruly hair.

September 20, 2009 at 9:52 PM
Dusty D said...

....I'm still trying to figure out how he tied his tie that way, though....

September 20, 2009 at 9:53 PM
Edward Vielmetti said...

Looking at it up close, it might be a very flat bow tie with the bows tucked under the collars; that is the only thing that seems to make sense.

Quite a dashing figure.

September 21, 2009 at 12:24 AM
Dusty D said...

Ed: That certainly seems possible. I'll have to check the "history of clothing" books at the Archives to see if I can find out. I really have to learn more about period fashions, particularly because they are so very useful in dating photos.

So far I have learned that the single most important thing to examine in, say, an old photo of a crowd is the YOUNG WOMEN and their HAIR, HATS, and DRESSES.

Fashion impacted women more than men, as it does today, and young women in particular were (are) the most likely candidates to be on fashion's cutting edge. Their styles can really help pin down a photo's date.

Aside from that tidbit I have much to learn and look forward to it.

September 21, 2009 at 1:19 AM
Unknown said...

He quite resembles Allie, especially around the eyes, I think. these pictures are so poignant.

September 21, 2009 at 5:29 PM
Dusty D said...

Lisele: They are unbelievably poignant.

I like to present snippets and then the whole thing because I think you and I have a predetermined schema for "looking at photos." "Oh, OK, it's a photo, no big deal." The details can get lost in a dismissive way because we've all seen so many millions of photos and portraits.

But focusing in on the little details, because that is not the norm, jolts me at least into seeing them, which I wouldn't so much if it were presented as "just another portrait like the millions youve seen before."

I agree, William L. does look a lot like his little sister; I noticed the peaked eyebrows in particular.

September 21, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Unknown said...

I adore how you post the snippets and then the entire picture, DD. It reveals the mystery of the self slowly -- these images are treasures. So glad you have posted them.

September 22, 2009 at 7:55 PM
Dusty D said...

Thank you--how nicely said!--"it reveals the mystery of the self slowly..."

September 22, 2009 at 8:19 PM
Unknown said...

He wanted to take Allie to the theatre, but mom wouldn't let him.

September 25, 2009 at 10:07 PM

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