Loving II by Hugh Nini & Neal Treadwell

Join us for a conversation with Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, a couple of 34 years, for the second installment of Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s –1950s; A collection of photographs that convey the unadulterated joy of being in love, starting from the earliest years of photography.

PLEASE NOTE: RSVPs are encouraged but not required. Seating is limited and will be first come, first served. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

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A stunning new companion to Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850-1950 (2020), featuring all new photographs from the Nini-Treadwell collection.

Loving II, the sequel to Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s – 1950s, is a stunning collection of vintage vernacular photographs of romantic male couples. Drawn from the Nini-Treadwell Collection of over 4000 photos, some as much as 175 years old, the selection conveys the unadulterated joy – longed for by all of us and recognizable to anyone – of being in love.

Starting from the earliest years of photography and continuing through the 1950s, this collection comprises daguerreotypes, silver gelatins, tintypes, ambrotypes, snap shots, and many more – a cross section of a century of photographic technique. The subjects come from all walks of life: soldiers, farmers, students, the young and the old, the poor and the affluent. These photographs were taken when being recognized as gay was to risk retribution, ridicule, banishment, imprisonment, and possibly death. They remained locked away during their subjects’ lifetimes for their very survival. The journeys that eventually brought them to the attention of Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell are mostly unknown, with only a few exceptions.

Discovered in a variety of ways, sometimes tucked away in antique shops and flea markets, they had slipped into the cracks of photographic history before being added to the Nini-Treadwell Collection one at a time, over a 25-year period. These courageous couples, from so long ago, who took and protected these photos, could not have imagined that one day their mementos of love would appear in a book that has been embraced all over the world. So much so that a second volume was necessary. These couples sent a message to the future. The question now is, what message will we send?

Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, a married couple of thirty-four years, born and raised in Texas, published a best-selling book in 2020, LOVING: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s –1950s. Hugh, born in Beaumont, Texas, just retired from a forty-five-year career in classical ballet. Neal, born in Stamford, Texas, and a former rodeo bull rider, traded in his spurs for a career as an executive in the cosmetics industry. Their book is based on a vintage photo collection of romantic male couples they began in the year 2000. These photos, ranging in age from seventy-five to one-hundred-seventy-five years old, were discovered from across the US and all over the world. The launch of LOVING was covered in the most prestigious publications and TV shows around the world, including: Good Morning America, Washington Post, CNN, BBC, People, Vogue, GQ, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Le Mond (France), The Guardian UK, Daily Mail UK, New York Times, La Republica (Italy), Der Spiegel (Germany), Smithsonian, Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and over 250 others. Most recently, their collection was on exhibit for four months at the Rath Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. Hugh and Neal are now looking ahead to more museum exhibitions, and LOVING II: More Photographic History of Menin Love, 1850s – 1950s.

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