A tintype of two men boxing, for your consideration.
Tintype, Pugilists
I’m attracted to this image by virtue of the slight motion blur captured in their pose – their hands and faces are a little soft from the 1+ second exposure. I suppose this could theoretically be an occupational tintype in that they may be boxers, although they’re rather formally dressed for athletes. I suspect this is just another case of two friends having a lark in the photographers’ studio. There’s probably a lost backstory to the picture – perhaps an inside joke about friends or siblings who were always fighting? Or perhaps it was a photographers’ study.
Two more bicyclists in the collection. Both from the same time period – turn of the 20th century. One is a bike messenger, the other a competitive cyclist. Notice the difference in the handlebars of the bikes- the messenger has fairly traditional straight-across handlebars whereas the racing bike has proto- drop handlebars like we see on modern racing bikes. I love the racing cyclist’s cap – it’s the little details that make the image with these kinds of photos.
Competitive Cyclist, Toledo, Ohio
Young Athlete, Ujpest, Hungary
Here’s an interesting one, a portrait of an athlete, but it doesn’t show anything to indicate what sport he partakes in.
dcphotoartist 