BILLY THE KID PHOTO
Last week I commented on the Billy the Kid PBS special and how the famous picture of Billy the Kid kept appearing on the screen over and over.
That’s because there are only two authentic photographs of Billy the Kid presently in existence. The most famous one is a two-by-three-inch ferrotype or tintype, taken by an unknown itinerant photographer outside Beaver Smith’s Saloon in Old Fort Sumner, around 1880…Because it portrays Billy as a very unattractive person, many have called it his visa picture.
Originally people didn’t realize that since it was a tintype, the image was actually reversed. So, everyone though Billy the Kid was left handed. This misconception even inspired the 1958 movie “The Left Handed Gun,” starring Paul Newman as Billy.
Finally firearms experts looked at the Kid’s Winchester and noticed its spring plate, where the cartridges are loaded, was on the left side. But Winchester produced firearms with spring plates only on the right side. So, later books and publications have the reversed image reversed, so it’s correct.
Recently this picture went on the auction block and a retired Wichita industrialist who collects everything from Wild West memorabilia to Picassos bought it for $2 million…Incidentally, it was thought it would go for about $300,000.
Filed under: Old West News • Uncategorized
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Dakota, You stated in your article that there are 2 authentic photos of Billy. with the well known photo being the 1st photo, I am curious as to the 2nd “Authentic” photograph you are referring to.
Maybe I over spoke when I said “authentic”. Actually, there’s only one that everyone accepts as Billy, but there are a couple more that some experts also feel are Billy.
Paco Anaya has one in his book “I Buried Billy” and Harold Edwards has another in his book “Goodbye Billy The Kid.”
Dakota, Thank you for the quick response to my question, I am ordering the book right away. I can’t wait to see the photo. It would sure seem that if Paco Anaya claims it is Billy, that would be pretty solid Proof. Thank you for the new site “CowboytoCowboy” and Chronicle as well. I hope all is well with you,Sunny and Jake.
John Bristow
McAlester,Oklahoma
Things are great. I’m sure they’re the same with you.