A new series based on a collection of old-fashioned images of gay men dating back to the mid-1800s began appearing on television.
“100 Years of Men in Love: A Crisis,” directed by Emmy-winning producer David Millbern, is based on the photo book “Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s – 1950s” by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell.
Nini and Treadwell began their collection 22 years ago when the couple stumbled upon a mysterious photo, which took a hundred years of the couple in a museum. Since then, men have been collecting thousands of photos of gay men over the past 170 years.
To date, they hold nearly 3,000 collections of photographs from around the world, and the collection is yet to be completed.
“We did not do this for any reason. It has happened to us slowly over the years, ”Nini told NBC News. “Maybe it was five to seven years in it, and at some point, we realized we were starting to collect something.”
During the collection, the people in the photos took great risks after their photos were taken with other celebrities. Then, in 2003, the Supreme Court rejected other US sex offenses laws. And to this day, homosexuality is rampant in almost 70 countries.
The hourly documentary shows an interview with Nini and Treadwell about their collection of photos, how it started and what it entails today. Couples also share never-before-seen photos from the collection, heartfelt messages behind some photos and how some photos share clues about relationship issues.
