A reader writes:
Your recent posting of a gay vintage photo blog made me want to share this circa 1860 carte-de-visite from my collection with you. It is the only photograph of a would-be transsexual I have ever discovered in 40 years of photo collecting:
The photograph was taken by O. Desmarais of Montreal, P.Q. It photo depicts a young man posing with his sister and mother in a studio. A spidery hand has written the word "HOWARD" beneath his portrait. The look of forbearance on the faces of his sister and mother is something to behold. Born a century too soon.