Crawford Barton

I recently came across some "new" photos by Crawford Barton, including this excellent 

color self portrait.  Lost to us decades ago to AIDS, Mr. Barton left a legacy of outstanding photography, much of which recorded the history of gays in San Francisco.

 

Park scene

 

I think this is a scene from a gay rights celebration in a park.  The blue tint appears 

in a number of Crawford Barton's photos from around this time, the mid-1970s.

Castro Scene

That pickup truck was already vintage when this Castro Street scene was photographed.  I love the way the guy at right seems to be saying, "What are those women doing in this neighborhood?"

 

Skinny Dippers

This is an enlarged detail from a photo I posted almost five years ago.

 

Steps

This is from a book of Crawford Barton's work called Beautiful Men.  The model is unknown, 

but a commentator on another blog said he looks like a young Woody Harrelson.

 

Man on a bench

That position on a wooden bench couldn't have

 been comfortable, but it makes a great picture.

 

I wasn't able to find a name for either the artist or the model in this interesting photo.

 

Street Dance

Crawford Barton chronicled the San Francisco scene in his time, 

and this color photo of a street dance is a good example.

 

Covered?

At first glance we think this model has covered himself,

but when we look closer, not so much.

 

Larry Lara

Crawford Barton didn't even need his lover Larry Lara to take off his clothes in order to produce an incredibly sexy photo.  The unbuttoned jeans and the vest frame his furry front beautifully.

 

Crawford Barton

Crawford Barton was born and raised on a farm in Georgia, but eventually found his way to Atlanta and then San Fricisco, where he arrived during the turbulent late 1960s.  A talented photographer, he took pictures of friends, models, and events.  (For more biographical info, click on his label at right.)  We start the series with an interesting photo of his longtime lover, Larry Lara.

 

Days of Hope

Crawford Barton photographed this Castro Street scene in the mid-1970s, but it wasn't 

published until after his death when it appeared in Days of Hope: 70s Gay San Francisco.  

That book is such a fine photographic chronicle of a crucial period in gay history that copies 

now go for upwards of $250 in the used book market.  It might be time for a reprint.

 

Beautiful Men

The only book of Crawford Barton's work published during his lifetime was Beautiful Men from 1976.  From what little I've been able to find of the contents, the material certainly lives up to the title, and this triple panel of a laughing man is a good example.

 

Unknown

I like this scene of an attractive man in a gritty urban setting.

The model, date, and exact location are unknown.

 

Skyline

The model here seems to be perched on a railing overlooking the San Francisco skyline.

 

Leather Man

Crawford Barton used this picture of a proud leather man in Beautiful Men.

 

Running in the country

I love the way the perspective on the fence leads our eye to the model in this one.

The model could have been Larry Lara in his long haired phase or perhaps some else.

 

Larry and Friend

This is Larry Lara again, and this time he's in bed with an unknown (to me anyway) man.  

From what I've read, Crawford and Larry had an open relationship part of the time they were 

together, but it's possible that this is simply a beautifully staged photograph.

 

Different

This is another shot from Beautiful Men, and it stands out as a bit different

in that it's less macho and less edgy than many in that book.

 

Worth another look

I'm closing out the Crawford Barton series with I photo I posted in 2019 that is by far my personal favorite from this photographer.  I hope the model survived the catastrophe that followed.