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| Photo by Mike Disfarmer 1940's from the now very rare book THE HERBER SPRINGS PORTRAITS |
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| Photo by Mike Disfarmer HERBER SPRINGS Portraits |
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| Photo by Mike Disfarmer from The Herber Springs Portraits |
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| Dream boat |
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| My buddy and I |
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| Over the threshold |
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| My baby just cares for me |
Mike Disfarmer {photos 1,2,3} was a cranky American rural photographer of the depression and war years who was not discovered by major New York galleries until decades after his death. There are a few books on him still in print, and a very good recent documentary called DISFARMER: A Portrait of America. This is my 18th HELLO SAILOR post. In this series I am selecting vintage photos and postcards that represent male companionship, buddies, and sometimes lovers. Some scholars will say that in those days men held hands, or sat in each others laps, and it meant only friendship. Well now we know that wasn't always the case obviously. The 'love that dare not speak its name' has never been fully recorded, photos like these need to be seen. The viewer can then see what was once hidden, or denied. Gay couples did exist, right back to the beginning of time, across many cultures. And it is only now that people are realizing to what extent. And don't let anyone tell you that being gay is only a recent idea. They are the ones in denial.
