[Two Young Men]
Among the many momentous social transformations generated by photography's invention was the possibility of self-representation by a large variety of groups previously excluded from official portraiture. Seamstresses, carpenters, gold miners, and even the recently deceased sat for their official portraits, leaving behind an extremely valuable record of their anonymous, if not invisible, lives. This portrait shows two young men in a tender embrace, their thighs entwined, sharing a suggestive moment before the camera. Are they lovers? Perhaps, but more likely this photograph is an example of the natural and unselfconscious intimacy and physical contact that men enjoyed in a pre-Freudian era.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Two Young Men]
- Artist: Unknown (American)
- Date: ca. 1850
- Medium: Daguerreotype
- Dimensions: Image: 10.8 x 8.3 cm (4 1/4 x 3 1/4 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Mitchell, 2001
- Object Number: 2001.714
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.