Although this Niagara Falls group shot, featuring three young men dressed in their best, looks and feels old—or is at least grungy as all hell in my hands—I’m not completely sure.
It has this clarity that’s extra-odd for any picture, let alone an old one, though I’m always remarking about how crisp antique cabinet cards look.
In fact, this antique photograph reminds me of one of those souvenir photos you can get in Niagara Falls, Ontario—if you’ve been, it’s likely you’ve wandered by the place on Victoria Avenue and looked at the examples listed outside. It looks like a really cool way to get a souvenir, though I’m sure none of the costumes would fit somebody my size!
A Google Lens search of the photograph came up with a lot of references to Billy the Kid. I, uh, don’t think so, Google.
All of the creases and the grime appear on the real thing, but… well, what do you think? Old or not?
Oh, and as an aside, I obtained this piece before generative AI became a thing—so it’s definitely not AI.
