Archivo: Doc Holliday

Description: Doc Holliday. There is controversy regarding this photo. See comment. Source: [1] Title J.H. (Doc) Holliday, as he appeared in the early eighties Call Number Z-8850 Summary Portrait of John H. (Doc) Holliday. He wears a coat and bow tie, and his detachable shirt collar is of the folded-down type. He has a moustache and parted hair with a cowlick. Date [between 1880 and 1885?] Creator Rose, Noah H. Notes Formerly F7833 Title printed on original and reproduced in photographic print. Modern copy print. Image has been heavily retouched. Attribution: "This is a print from the famous Rose Collection of old time photographs" stamped on verso of photographic print. Source unknown. Medium 1 photographic print ; 16 x 11 cm. (6 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.) Copyright Copyright restrictions applying to use or reproduction of this image available from the Western History/Genealogy Dept., Denver Public Library. (N.B.: Since this is a pre-1923 photo, it is doubtful if the Denver Library has any copyright that would hold in a U.S. legal test, see copyright). COMMENT: Nobody really knows who took this photo (which is oval-inscribed) or who named it. It has been used in biographies of Doc over the years. The hair is much darker than the known Holliday photos. This man may not be Holliday. Interestingly, a similar (but not identical) photo hangs in the Cochise County Courthouse museum in Tombstone and is labeled as being Holliday. This photo shows the same man, but it may not be from the same photo session. It has a different (upturned) shirtcollar, slightly different hair combing, and has a more open vest and overcoat. This man, shown in full portrait, holds a Bowler hat. No copy of "Bowler Hat Holliday" exists in the archive in the Denver Public Library, however. Apparently, the only known print of the full "Bowler Hat" Tombstone courthouse "Holliday" photo, hangs in the courthouse museum in Tombstone. This museum doesn't know where THEY got it, and that it is not a copy of a print from the Denver library. They were quite surprised to find it is unique (note that the coat covers less of the vest than in all the other portrait photos). Here is the "Holliday with bowler hat" image from the Cochise County Courthouse Museum in Tombstone: Note that this is one of three similar images of "Holliday". These are actually THREE separate photos of the same man, though at least one site claims that they are derived by retouching. [2]. However, careful examination of the collar and hair of this man in the three images, shows this is not so. Two photos below (one with crease) are differently toned images of the same negative: but in both of them, the left upturned shirt collar wing points toward the camera. In the photo at right of the man with the hat, the upturned collar is symmetric and bowtie cords are seen due to the more open vest. In the oval photo, the detachable collar is a folddown type. He looks like a bad man, a very bad man!
Title: Doc Holliday
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No