Men's Club

I've got lots of photos in folders, but with the exception of the nightclub shots, I rarely publish anything other than the photograph itself. This one's a bit different. There was a fascination with "Orientalism" in the first several decades of the 20th century. The influences of the far east can be seen in the paintings, sculpture, design and architecture of the period. The design of the folder is far more interesting, with it's Chinese pagoda, and vine like frame around the photo, at least to me, than the photograph itself. Having said that, I still like the photo, and even without the paper folder, I would still have wanted to put it in the collection. The man in the glasses is older than the six other men, but he doesn't seem to be old enough to be their father. He may be a college professor with some students, or a clergyman with parishioners. This was the era of the missionary, and I've seen a lot of photos, just like this one, of young men about to go off to convert the non-Christians of the third world, posing with an older, more experienced hand. Or perhaps, the younger men have just joined a fraternal organization like the Elks. A far less interesting supposition, but one more likely.