Posted on 10/12/2015 3:21:46 AM PDT by lowbridge
Western Americana and Rare Coin experts, Kagins, Inc., announced that the firm has authenticated and will be the exclusive seller of a newly discovered photograph featuring several of the Lincoln County Regulators, including legendary gunman, Billy the Kid. The photograph was purchased for $2 as a part of a miscellaneous lot at a Fresno junk shop in 2010, and will be the subject of a two-hour documentary airing Sunday, October 18th at 9/8c on National Geographic Channel.
I love handling great treasure finds! exclaimed Dr. Donald Kagin, president of Kagins, Inc. This iconic, lively and fun artifact is history in your handa snapshot of the life style of one of the most notorious figures of the Wild West.
The 4x5 inch tintype not only depicts Billy the Kid, but several members of his gang, The Regulators, playing a leisurely game of croquet alongside friends, family, and lovers in the late summer of 1878. Taken just one month after the tumultuous Lincoln County War came to an end, it is a window into the lives of these gunmen as they were still fighting the injustices of a lawless land. Its a carefree moment after an important life event - a wedding - which is rich in content, movement and texture.
When we first saw the photograph, we were understandably skeptical - an original Billy the Kid photo is the Holy Grail of Western Americana, remarked Kagins senior numismatist, David McCarthy. We had to be certain that we could answer and verify where, when, how and why this photograph was taken. Simple resemblance is not enough in a case like this - a team of experts had to be assembled to address each and every detail in the photo to insure that nothing was out of place.
(Excerpt) Read more at madmimi.com ...
Their boss was British.
Yes. Forgot the link.
Hi, Gov. And I guess it’s either early spring or late fall given the bare tree.
That’s the original correct orientation.
False information lasts forever on the internet.
Interesting to see how short he is. Looks to be about 5 feet and a bit.
So then you DID play croquet with "Billy the Kid"! Now you have something really special to tell your grandkids!
Looks like about 7 or 8 children in the photo. Wonder if that is a church/schoolhouse social.
Yeah, but we were a whole lot younger than THE Billy the Kid.
Article says it's a wedding.
"Taken just one month after the tumultuous Lincoln County War came to an end, it is a window into the lives of these gunmen as they were still fighting the injustices of a lawless land. Its a carefree moment after an important life event - a wedding - which is rich in content, movement and texture."
I’ve got that same board-&-batten siding on my house and outbuildings.
Never did learn to play no croquet.
The original is most likely a large format photo printed from a large negative plate. With a high resolution original, you can easily zoom in and see more good detail.
I have my doubts about this photograph costing $2 in a “junk” shop. The image appears to be a tintype and anyone who deals with antiques should know that outdoor view tintypes with unusual subjects are worth some $$$$$. it is a desirable large size image and even if this were a group of nobody’s, that image could easily bring in the $100-200 range.
I think the backstory might be BS, kind of like the famous “watermelon” sword tale.
That is a great photo and that is my style of painting... but I would have to get permission from the photo's owner to use it in a painting. That is why I always either paint from life or use my own photos.
I thought all tin-types came out flipped backerds.
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