Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Where's This From?

Has anyone ever seen this photograph of H.P. Lovecraft before?

I found it on this blog entry and was immediately struck by the fact that it looked completely new to me. Given that the image is entitled "lovecraft-newphoto.jpg," I can only assume that it is, in fact, a new photograph of the Old Gent, recently discovered somewhere.

If so, I think that's rather cool. I simply love the notion that, nearly three-quarters of a century after his death, people are still unearthing new records and information about this man. I also think it's one of the more flattering photos of Lovecraft I've seen.

10 comments:

  1. I wouldn't assume that - the "new" may just have easily been a new file name serving as a personal note. TinyEye finds several of these, this one shows a fuller picture.

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  2. Apologies... here's the proper link:
    http://lovecraft.ovh.org/gal/fot12.jpg

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  3. I actually took that photo myself during a bout of astral projection last May. I did so during a meteor shower and was sent back to 1859 and had to live through the centuries until I was able to make it back to my body by using a dimensional tear resultant from the 1985 Haley's comet showing.

    I thought since I was going to be in the early 20th century I should get some memorabilia of my heroes of literature.

    Man, I must be bored.

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  4. "I also think it's one of the more flattering photos of Lovecraft I've seen."

    It's all relative isn't it?

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  5. Looks like it was taken later in his life and possibly was taken from a frame of 16mm film. Does anyone know if any newsreel or home movies were taken with HPL?

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  6. I've never seen any photos of HPL at such an advanced age; he must be at least 43/44, at a guess. I agree that "Grandpa" looks somewhat more distinguished in this one (he even has some gray hair!), but he also looks a little somber and drawn and perhaps not entirely well.

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  7. If he's 43/44, then it would only be a few years before his death, which might explain him looking "not entirely well."

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  8. Yes, that's what I was getting at. He died at 47, I believe, but only spent the last month or few weeks (I don't recall) so of his life in the hospital, so it could have been taken as late as 1936/37.

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  9. I'd like to say that I've seen this one before, but it's hard to say. I grew up around Providence, so it wasn't uncommon to see his picture here and there considering the sort of interests I had growing up.

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