Antique Family Photo with Spencer carbine

[Two Flints]

[Hard Mouth]

Hey, Two Flints,
Okay, "Picture/Thousand words" and all that, but enlighten us a bit, if you will. Provenance of the pic? The twins on the left are the best lookin' I've ever seen in period photos! Most in that era seem to photo as stern/homely at best. That guy lookin' so nonchalant 'cause he's well armed or 'cause they're all his wives? C'mon now, set the scene..

Thanks,
Hard Mouth

[.56/50 Iron]

Good Morning!  Dosen't that lever on the Spencer look a little "thick"?  Also looks like he took off the the saddle ring and bar. The woman standing behind the gentleman is a real behemouth! If I had a wife as severe as that one looks, I'd take my Spencer with me wherever I went, including to bed!! That guy didn't go courting, he went buffalo hunting!
.56/50 Iron

[Two Flints]

Hard Mouth,

I don't always have the background information for each photo I post.  If it's a Spencer that's all I really care about.  Spencers are always being modified and maybe that's what happened in this photo; maybe it's just a prop non-firing Spencer.  I don't know.  But, if the photo I find while searching the Internet has a Spencer in it, it gets posted

Two Flints

[Hard Mouth]

Reason enough!! Never know who may see it and have the story...

[minerotago]

The fellow holding the Spencer looks awfully like my great grandfather when he was a bit younger than the only photo I have ever seen of him taken in New York aobut 1890. The girls look a little Indian but I might be wrong - Hmm - If I had been around in those days I would not have minded being aquainted to them. As for the lever, well I reckin it depends on the angle of the rifle and the photo is taken more or less from the front and that does make the lever look wider - I think its the real deal after all who would ever have their photo taken in those days with anything other than the real thing?

[major]

56/50
The saddle bar and ring are not missing they are on the other side.  This is a tin type or wet plate and the image is reversed.  If you look close you will see that the hammer appears to be on the left side, which would happen with a reversed image.
Major

[Jan Buchwald]

56/50
The saddle bar and ring are not missing they are on the other side.  This is a tin type or wet plate and the image is reversed.  If you look close you will see that the hammer appears to be on the left side, which would happen with a reversed image.
Major

And the coat buttons the wrong way

[Two Flints]

Hi,

I reversed the family with Spencer image after reading the above posts.

Two Flints

[Delmonico]

If you can, change it to B&W and darken it a little to bring it closer to what it was before the tones browned and faded.  That often shows up some interesting detail.

[Two Flints]

Del,

Tried the B&W conversion, but there is a glare off the Spencer metal, maybe because of a direct flash at the subjects by the photographer.  I did darken it quite a bit, but the glare/shine remains and blocks any good look at detail.

Two Flints

[Delmonico]

When I have time I'll give it a shot at home, I have a program that may help.