There is something about the format of Kodak #1 and #2 photos-- immediately recognizable for the round format of the image, and really representing the dawn of amateur photography--that lends these photos a great sense of drama. I think it is because it feels as if one is viewing the subject through a scope, as if secretly spying on them, and so they always feel to me a bit Hitchcock Rear Window-esque! Indeed this one feels very much that way to me, with this young man in suit jacket, with watch and handkerchief in pocket, shot against stone wall, seeming as if walking along unaware of being photographed. And so, Who is he? Why is he being surveilled? Is he on his way to a secret tryst? Or working as a spy? Just the right sort to imagine all sorts of things about!!!

5 1/4 x 4 1/4 and in good antique condition, general wear, toning and scattered stains. Late 19th c.