Five years ago, a California collector paid only $2 for a tintype photo. Now, he's finding out that the photo he nearly left behind is one of two known photos of 1800s outlaw Billy the Kid. Dated 1878, the photo depicts Billy the Kid and his gang playing croquet, said to be taken after a wedding. How do we know this is the one and only Billy the Kid? Facial recognition experts and photography experts have been able to confirm the identity of the man in the photo.
Do we really want to value a photo of a renown murderer of at least eight people at such a high price? Do we really want to give 'satisfaction,' for lack of a better word, to this killer? Well, though Billy the Kid isn't a good guy, he is still part of history. A part of history that we cannot ignore and that we have to collect evidence upon. The reason this photo is worth so much isn't because of how great Billy the Kid was...he wasn't good at all...it's because of how little evidence there really is. It adds to a small collection of sorts that shows us who this killer really was.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/15/living/billy-the-kid-photo-feat/index.html
I think this is an interesting take on the situation. Although Billy the Kid was not a good person, it's cool to find small pieces of history like this. - Nora Bracy
ReplyDeletePeople simply love old stuff. Collectors don't care if he was a terrible person, they just care if it's antique. This shows the value our culture has on history, making it increasingly important to have honest historians.
ReplyDeleteIt's messed up that people think serial killers are cool honestly!! I agree with you, to price this picture of a guy who was a known murderer so high is ridiculous. It is cool because it's such an old part of history, though.
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