Vintage gay man

During a time when loving the same gender was illegal, and possibly deadly, queer couples still found a way to show the world who they were and what they meant to each other.

That’s earth shattering, in my opinion.

It’s also a history of photography because we start with the tintype, but then we go to umbrellas. They went up into the Swiss Alps and took great pictures of their love for each other, and there is a nephew of one of those gentlemen who is still alive. It’s not just a quick montage.

The identities of the photographers and subjects connected to most of the images are a mystery.

“The pictures adopt the same staging as for heterosexual couples: couples pose at the bow of a ship, on the branch of a tree, at the beach, in the forest and in bed, and they sometimes also simulate a wedding stance,” per a statement from the Musee d’Art et d’Histoire.

What’s next for 100 Years of Men in Love?

We continue to receive many laurels; I think we’ve gotten 13 film festival laurels already, and it’s now streaming on Here TV. As for what’s next, who knows?

Is there a certain photo or story that stood out to you the most?

We go into the stories of some particular photos, and we talk about body parts touching.

The show, titled “Loving,” is based on the 2020 photography book Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell.

Nini and Treadwell, who are married, found the photographs at flea markets, antique shops, online auctions and in family archives over the last two decades. They’re all passed on now, but through this film, their love and commitment shine through.

Many of them were found in suitcases and in rummage sales, and some had creases on them as if they were folded up in a wallet and hidden. They were holding up this little sign in this tintype that said Bourbon Indiana Fair, 1908. I always say, “If you pass the torch, you’re in the dark.” You need to ignite young people and those to have their own journey of happiness and advocacy.

We tell the story in the film where he says that his uncle would take this box of photos out from up in the closet and show him the pictures of he and his lover. In one, two men hold up a sign that says “Not married but willing to be.” In another, a shirtless man gives another man a piggyback ride. Taken in 1927, the snapshot showed two men embracing.

We need to work towards that. If you look down on the railing, their pinkies are touching. They were doing this when it was not cool; (it was) illegal, and they could have lost their jobs. This film at least captures many of them and tells those stories.

Unique and incredibly moving, 100 Years of Men in Love showcases the beauty of everlasting and universal love.