# New Billy the Kid photo authenticated. Insured for 5 million. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 13, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557 "2015-10-13T17:07:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/21 "2015-10-13T19:32:58Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I wonder what that guy to Billy’s right is pointing at. It’s like he’s pointing at something he wants the photographer to take note of. Maybe Billy was cheating at croquet. Or he’s making fun of his jacket. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/22 "2015-10-13T20:01:03Z")
Point and laugh at the Regulator ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/23 "2015-10-13T20:26:27Z")
Them’s fightin’ words! ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/24 "2015-10-13T20:30:15Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > I remember on a PBS special how Billy’s gf commented how that one particular known photo of him at the time, just didn’t do him justice at all and wasn’t a fair depiction of him. Maybe she was just madly in love, or it could have been bad lighting. > > Anyway, thanks for the cool find, I love looking at old pics like that. Did the PBS special, or the gf, mention that the original known ferrotype of Billy was reversed (mirror image), or that Billy actually worn his pistol on his right hip? ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/25 "2015-10-13T21:22:01Z")
I thought that said Billy the Kids phone…I read it twice that way too! I thought…Billy was dead long ago, right? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/26 "2015-10-13T22:21:34Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Did the PBS special, or the gf, mention that the original known ferrotype of Billy was reversed (mirror image), or that Billy actually worn his pistol on his right hip? Don’t think that it did, just remember that part from her that I went and found at the 37:20 mark of the documentary. It has a free on-line 54 minute version on youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peMYV393xLQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peMYV393xLQ) ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/27 "2015-10-14T00:18:16Z")
I get so drawn into old pictures like this. I find myself just taking in every single detail. A single moment in the lives of these people, long dead, who could not even conceive of someone looking at their picture 140 years later. Thanks for posting this. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/28 "2015-10-14T05:07:56Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > A question. > > This is a candid photo. Seems like some posed and a couple people weren’t. The lady on the horse for example doesn’t look posed. It doesn’t look like photos where people had to stand perfectly still for several minutes. Would that newer camera technology been available in 1878?. It’s definitely true that early photography had long exposure times, but a lot of people think these long exposures were around far longer than they were: > **[Photography Theory in Historical Perspective](https://books.google.com/books?id=_nMeMgMnT3sC)** > > Photography Theory in Historical Perspective: Case Studies from Contemporary Art aims to contribute to the understanding of the multifaceted and complex character of the photographic medium by dealing with various case studies selected from... > [@](#): > > (P. 75) **The real age of instantaneous photography** , however, at least according to photo historian Michel Fizot,\*\* is the decade of the 1880s, when exposure times were reduced _from 1/100 to 1/1,000 of a second_\*\*, which was realized thanks to technical developments of lenses and the light sensitiveness of gelatin-silver bromide emulsions. Note that even before the 1880s, exposure times were 1/100 of a _second_. And tintypes were popular because the exposure time was so much shorter than for a daguerreotype; photographers (well, tintypists :)) used tintypes for street scenes, boardwalk/beach/tourist sales, etc. Even the earliest types needed only ~5 seconds for the exposure. That’s an eternity today, but nowhere near several minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/29 "2015-10-14T18:41:11Z")
The links on that page lead to this one, which is allegedly Robert Ford and Jesse James (recently authenticated, according to the article) [![](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/41/20/30/8717877/4/920x920.jpg) ](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/41/20/30/8717877/4/920x920.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/30 "2015-10-14T19:03:58Z")
I wonder why anyone ever suspected in the first place that one figure of many in an old tintype might be BtK? If it was part of a miscellaneous lot that seems kind of strange. Perhaps they’ll explain that in the show, which as you probably noticed is _this_ Sunday. I tried comparing Billy’s features to that of the only substantiated picture of him. Due to the distance of the shot it’s difficult. Among a couple of features he does have one ear that appears to be larger than the other, that’s seen in both pics. I assume it’s on the same side in the originals. I’ve already got the recorder set for Sunday evening, should be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/31 "2015-10-14T19:53:07Z")
[This story](http://abc30.com/news/new-billy-the-kid-photo/1030317/) says that Randy Guijarro, the guy who bought the photo at a junk shop, had no idea who might be in it. He just thought it was interesting. He must have shown it to someone versed enough in western history to suspect that it might be BtK’s gang. Perhaps the photo had some kind of identifying clue that it was taken in New Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/32 "2015-10-14T20:40:31Z")
I plan to watch the Nat Geo special this Sunday. I’m curious too how anyone even thought this photo could be important. It wouldn’t occur to most people that anyone historically important is in the photo. Tintypes aren’t that rare. They were basically the Polaroids of that era. They can be found at many flea markets and junk shops. its scheduled Sunday Oct 18 at 8 Central > **[Watch National Geographic TV Live Stream Online](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/watch-live)** > > Watch full episodes, specials and documentaries with National Geographic TV channel online. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/33 "2015-10-15T13:46:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m curious too how anyone even thought this photo could be important. It wouldn’t occur to most people that anyone historically important is in the photo. It _didn’t_ occur to most people that anyone historically significant would be in the photo – which is why the guy got it for two bucks with a bunch of other photos. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/34 "2015-10-15T17:27:27Z")
On the world news last night, ABC I guess, he said he suspected it was BtK right away, which is why he bought it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/35 "2015-10-15T17:52:09Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > On the world news last night, ABC I guess, he said he suspected it was BtK right away, which is why he bought it. What I meant was, nobody else before him thought it was significant. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/36 "2015-10-15T21:10:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Kevin Costner will narrate and produce the _two-hour_ documentary for National Geographic Channel, covering Western Americana enthusiast Randy Guijarro’ s odyssey to authenticate this unique photograph. Two hours seems like an awfully long time to spend talking about one photograph. ---
**Author:** ![northporlarbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@northporlarbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/northporlarbear)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/37 "2015-10-15T21:17:41Z")
I don’t know much about Billy the Kid, but I surely have heard that name before even when I don’t know much about the Western American history. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/38 "2015-10-15T21:24:24Z")
That’s so that the portion of the audience who tuned in because this is an area of ongoing interest can sit through a lot they already know, plus commercials. I’d love it if a show would come on and say “you should already know about Abe Lincoln and Succession and Fort Sumter. If you don’t, record this for later, read some books and then come back because we need this time to do an in-depth examination of the Fort Pillow massacre.” All educational TV is 100-level. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/39 "2015-10-16T02:32:28Z")
Thanks for posting this. It so fascinating! > [@Colibri](#): > > Considering how…homely…he is in the existing photos, Billy is probably the historical figure with the greatest disparity between his actual appearance and the actors who have portrayed him, including Paul Newman, Val Kilmer, Kris Kristofferson, Emilo Estevez, and [Johnny Mack Brown](http://www.bellazon.com/main/uploads/monthly_10_2010/post-37737-1286543969.jpg). The thing I’ve always been curious about is how most contemporary accounts mention how attractive he was… contrasted of course with popular photo. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557/40 "2015-10-16T02:48:28Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Did “regulators” have a different meaning or connotation at that time? > [@Colibri](#): > > [The Regulators](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_County_Regulators) were a group that participated in the Lincoln County Cattle War. They were formed to “regulate” what they believed to corruption in local law enforcement. > > In Andersonville Prison Camp during the Civil War, a group of Regulators was formed among the Union prisoners to control the [Raiders,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andersonville_Raiders) a gang that was robbing and killing other prisoners. > > I imagine there were other groups of “Regulators,” informal groups to enforce law and order where there was little or none. Probably the most well-known, at least to history nerds, are the North Carolina [Regulators](http://uncpress.unc.edu/nc_encyclopedia/regulator.html), a pre-Revolutionary group of colonists from what was then the frontier of central and western North Carolina, whose protests against the colonial government in the eastern part of the state eventually led to violence. No idea if the Lincoln County Regulators were consciously evoking the Tarheels, or if the term was just floating around in the American zeitgeist of the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-billy-the-kid-photo-authenticated-insured-for-5-million/734557.md?page=3)