New image shows Billy the Kid playing croquet

tmh10

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Mar 2, 2012
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Pipestem,WV
I know this is not Civil War but it is history post war and of interest to many old picture lovers.

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http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015...-billy-kid-playing-croquet.html?intcmp=hplnws
 
I think it's entirely possible. There's a resemblance, the folks mentioned look like the ones in the photo (match up closely), and it looks like the country around Eastern NM. We've also seen diary entries regarding get-togethers like this one.

I'd like some of the folks from the area, like @BKey and others to chime in....
 
I'm looking forward to "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. The documentary will also feature extensive interviews with a variety of experts in digital facial recognition, antique photography, geographic positioning, and vintage croquet sets." - see link in the OP

"The only other known photograph of Billy the Kid is a portrait of the outlaw taken in Fort Sumner, NM in 1880. It sold for $2.3 million to Palm Beach, Fla., businessman William Koch in 2011 at Brian Lebel’s Annual Old West Show and Auction in Denver. In that photo, Billy is packing a Colt revolver and trademark 1873 Winchester carbine rifle." - see link in the OP

The photo -
Billy_the_Kid_tintype,_Fort_Sumner,_1879-80.jpg


Edit to add this link - http://civilwartalk.com/threads/kev...mystery-for-national-geographic.116465/page-2
 
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There have been some interesting discussions about that famous photo! One medical person opined that it showed Billy was retarded or a cretin. Sloped shoulders, droopy eyes, slack jaw... I don't see that - I'm not a doctor, either - but it simply looks like he's slouching and got caught in mid-blink. Nothing I've read about Billy indicates subnormal intelligence or deformity in any way. Has anybody else heard this sort of thing? (A certain moral flexibility...that I'll concede!)
 
I'm looking forward to "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. The documentary will also feature extensive interviews with a variety of experts in digital facial recognition, antique photography, geographic positioning, and vintage croquet sets." - see link in the OP

"The only other known photograph of Billy the Kid is a portrait of the outlaw taken in Fort Sumner, NM in 1880. It sold for $2.3 million to Palm Beach, Fla., businessman William Koch in 2011 at Brian Lebel’s Annual Old West Show and Auction in Denver. In that photo, Billy is packing a Colt revolver and trademark 1873 Winchester carbine rifle." - see link in the OP

The photo -
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Edit to add this link - http://civilwartalk.com/threads/kev...mystery-for-national-geographic.116465/page-2
Billy.jpg

Could be, Mike. Same hat shape.
 
Could be, Mike. Same hat shape.
Thanks for the side-by-side, Ken. It would be nice to see a much larger version of the newest photo. Not a lot of detail in the face. Body shape seems to be the same.

Here is the actual size detail of his face in the known photo. I cleaned it up a little hoping to not remove any identifying features.
BillyBoy.jpg
 
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There have been some interesting discussions about that famous photo! One medical person opined that it showed Billy was retarded or a cretin. Sloped shoulders, droopy eyes, slack jaw... I don't see that - I'm not a doctor, either - but it simply looks like he's slouching and got caught in mid-blink. Nothing I've read about Billy indicates subnormal intelligence or deformity in any way. Has anybody else heard this sort of thing? (A certain moral flexibility...that I'll concede!)
The clothing cut of that era made everyone's shoulders appear sloping, and frankly most teenage boys look like morons in photos. Proof that Providence has a sense of humor. At the age when boys have the highest sex drive, most of them are at their least appealing.

However, I think I remember reading something about that palate shape - center tooth, extremely narrow arch - which is typical of some syndrome or other. Will have to look and see whether I can find what I'm thinking of.

Found it - Lujan–Fryns syndrome - also associated with a variety of anti-social behaviors and mild mental retardation. I'm thinking that might be what that medical professional was thinking of.
 
The clothing cut of that era made everyone's shoulders appear sloping, and frankly most teenage boys look like morons in photos. Proof that Providence has a sense of humor. At the age when boys have the highest sex drive, most of them are at their least appealing.

However, I think I remember reading something about that palate shape - center tooth, extremely narrow arch - which is typical of some syndrome or other. Will have to look and see whether I can find what I'm thinking of.

Found it - Lujan–Fryns syndrome - also associated with a variety of anti-social behaviors and mild mental retardation. I'm thinking that might be what that medical professional was thinking of.

Ah, yes! That's it. The gentleman in the article used the terms retarded and cretin, which I think are considerably inaccurate and not very nice to boot! Sure would explain Billy, though, wouldn't it? Wonder if anybody in his family had characteristics that might indicate that disorder? It's genetic.
 
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