This 1904 photograph is by the Byron Company, which was a commercial photography firm operating in New York City from 1892 until the start of World War II. Most of the Byron Collection photos are documentary in nature, but it looks to me as though a little humor crept in, at least in this case. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the man in this picture is a woman with a false mustache.
Kris was kind enough to send this postcard to help inaugurate Girls Go Postal. He asks, “I wonder what all those gadgets on the wall are used for?” Those torture implements combined with the bather’s happy expression put me in mind of the Monty Python “Spanish Inquisition” sketch.
August 7th, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Egad. I think you’re right.