Tag Archives: Vintage Gay

The grainy photo makes it difficult to see the photo but they appear to be on a boat or by the water and very happy together. Despite the aging photos spots and deterioration, it is easy to see that they appear relaxed and happy. Anyone have a clue when this photograph may have been taken?

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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Much thanks to my friend Jim L. who shared this photo with me. I love it when you get a photo with a note like this one shared between these two men. The note of love reads like poetry. It makes me want to know more about the man [NE] who wrote this and what happened to these two men.

“Only to hold your hand in mine. Make me forget my tears. Hope on my pathway seems to shine. The sad world appears when in your eye love light I see all the sad world is true telling me that you are to me all that I am to you. NE”

Dunlop, Missouri – August 24, 1911

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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Much thanks to Joseph a fellow blogger who stumbled upon this photo while he was doing research for his own blog, Academic Nudes of the 19th Century. He said the photo dates back to the 1930s. I am guessing the photo was taken in or near Mulhouse, France based on the shirt worn by the handsy guy in the first row on the far right.

Photos from the 19th century and first few decades in the 20th century can sometimes be sexually ambiguous, but I find such photos interesting and can’t help but make up stories about the men in these pictures. In this case, I’m drawn to the intimacy of three of the men. The gentleman in the middle of the second row affectionately has his hands on both shoulders of his teammate in front of him. Then there are the two in the first row with their interlocking legs. This would be enough to turn my head but the playful pinch from the friend on the far right suggests he is either a prankster or something more. His expression gives nothing away while the teammate in the middle seems to have quite a smirk, and that makes me wonder what he is thinking.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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Above is a photograph dating back to 1939 of Wystan Hugh Auden(left) (right) and Christopher Isherwood (right) (left). Auden was a poet from York, England but became a naturalized American after WWII. He collaborated with Isherwood on three plays from 1935-1938 who is perhaps better known to Americans. Isherwood also became a naturalized American and was a novelist, playwright and screenwriter during the Golden Age of Hollywood. The two maintained a lasting but intermittent sexual friendship from around 1927 to 1939.

While Auden married Erika Mann in 1935 to help her escape Nazi Germany both men were homosexuals. Any doubt of Auden’s orientation would be erased upon reading his erotic poem, The Platonic Blow (A Day For A Lay), written in 1948 to American poet, Chester Kallman.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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Much thanks to the Twitter handle @oldmasc, which recently shared this as a Fleet. I’m fairly certain these guys are not gay, but the expression on the guy facing the camera makes me laugh and captures a moment in time – probably one of very few lighthearted moments these men were able to enjoy. I assume this was taken during WWII, but I welcome anyone who can shed more light on either this military social or the uniforms that might help date the photo.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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I’ve posted this photo previously because I find it so funny I thought it might make for a good April Fools post. I can’t recall when people suggested this photo may have been taken but my assumption is in the 1940s or possibly the 1950s. What do you think?

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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This photo was posted on the Twitter account @oldmasc and I swiped it for this weekly blog post. I can’t tell much about this photo other than that Harvey (on the left) was eighteen years old when the picture was taken. I assume these are military uniforms. Are you able to glean anything from the clothing or hair style that might pinpoint a date or location when these three were photographed?

Men in the past were often photographed close together and touching, but the photo strikes me as more intimate with each man interlacing his hands and sharing a seat so that the men on either side are half seated on the arm of the chair and half curled around each leg of the man in the middle. Certainly it would have been more comfortable standing on either side or behind the man in the middle.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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This is another photo that I can’t place but I like their style, sharing a milkshake. I suppose this could’ve been taken anytime from the 1950s to present day. I’d welcome your thoughts about the photo as well as when or where you think this may have been taken in the comments section.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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What a great photo. I have no clue where or when this may have been taken and wanted to share it to ask you if you can glean any hints from this grainy photo? Share your thoughts about the photo as well as when or where you think this may have been taken in the comments section.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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The backdrop of the large granite blocks and rocks are reminiscent of Provincetown’s Causeway — a narrow path that starts by the Provincetown Inn and extends into the harbor ending by the dunes at Woods End. But that is just a guess. Where do you think this may be and when do you think the photo may have been taken?

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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Much thanks to Peter Miller who regularly shares amazing photos from the past for this weekly post. One cannot help but look at the gentleman in the upper right; are the two men joking around or is there something more between the two men? Regardless, the spontaneous pose is unusual for the 1880s or 1890s when Peter surmises this may have been taken.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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Much thanks to Arnon who shared this photo and note on the reverse-side. His father is shown above on the right. Arnon shared his family history and the relationship of these two men, which is quite tender and personal. The inscription on the flip side of the photograph shows the date of October 23, 1943. For historical reference this photo was taken in Europe during WWII; weeks after Italy surrendered to the Allied Forces. However, fighting would continue to rage in Europe until May 8, 1945. It makes me wonder what these men were forced to endure – fortunately both survived the war.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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Much thanks to my friend Jim Lundy who lives here in the South End for sharing this photo for my weekly vintage gay post. I’ve shared this previously but the photo of two African American servicemen posing together in 1951 with their names scrawled across the photo is definitely worth a re-post. I think my favorite thing about the photo is how Davis has his chin resting on his “friend’s” shoulder.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

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This photo is one of several images of men called “Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s-1950s.” The image above is a photograph, known as a cabinet card. This is a process that dates back to around 1880. You can see the other photos shared here. Much thanks to friend and longtime BosGuy reader, Jim Lundy for sharing this with me.

I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.

Previous Vintage Gay Photos