I came across this photograph of two young men in Archive.org.

It almost looks like a still from a movie but it isn’t. There’s very little information about it, except that it was taken somewhere in the Midwest and it’s dated June 7, 1908.

Archive.org

I’m always interested in casual pictures like this from the turn of the century–there aren’t many of them–because it tells us a little about what their lives were really like.  Then again some aspects of this particular picture creates questions.

Who are these men and where are they?

The man at the piano is dressed up and sitting up very straight. June 7, 1908 was a Sunday, so maybe they had been to church. It looks like he’s playing the piano but there’s no blurriness around him. I’m guessing that means he was sitting still, posing for this picture.

The boy who is  closer to the camera looks a little younger. The camera is at an awkward angle to capture him and he must have moved because of the blurriness around his face. He’s not in a formal pose and his outfit isn’t as sharp as the man at the piano. Then again, I wouldn’t describe his clothing as work clothes either.

My guess is they’re brothers in their family’s front parlor.    Do you agree? If not, what do you think we’re seeing here?