Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love
Last updated: 2 October 2026
Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s to 1950s is a book of 320 photographs of male couples, collected over 20 years by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell. Many were taken when relationships between men were illegal, and none of them had been published before. The 336-page hardback came out in October 2020 from 5 Continents Editions. On 2 October 2026 Amazon UK had it at £47, with three copies left.
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What is in the book
The photographs run from the 1850s to the 1950s and come from around the world, including the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States. They include daguerreotypes, tintypes, glass negatives, cabinet cards, photo-booth strips and ordinary snapshots. They were taken in every kind of setting, from private homes to public places.
Nini and Treadwell identified the couples by how they look at each other and how they touch, and sometimes by an inscription on the back. Those inscriptions were often coded, because in many of these places the relationship itself was a crime.
How the collection started
Nini and Treadwell are a married couple from Texas who now live in New York. Around 2000, in an antiques shop in Dallas, they found a photograph from about 1920 of two young men embracing in front of a house. A second picture followed from an online auction: two soldiers from the 1940s in an art deco frame etched with the words "Yours Always".
From there they built a collection of 2,800 photographs from flea markets, family archives, old suitcases and auctions. The book prints 320 of them. As they told The Eye of Photography, "The subjects of our photos, with the release of LOVING, will publicly narrate their own lives for the first time in history."
Key facts
- Authors and collectors: Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell
- Publisher: 5 Continents Editions
- Published: 14 October 2020
- Format: hardback, 336 pages, 320 photographs, 1.86kg
- ISBN: 9788874399284
- Price: £47 on Amazon UK on 2 October 2026, with three copies left in stock
- Ratings: 4.9 out of 5 from 2,741 ratings on Amazon UK, checked the same day
Signed copies and Loving II
The authors sell signed copies of the retail edition through their own site, loving1000.org, priced in US dollars at $70, so a UK buyer should check postage and any import charges before ordering. They have since published a second volume, Loving II: More Photographic History of Men in Love, which they also sell there as a signed and numbered edition of 1,000.
Who it suits
- Readers interested in LGBTQ+ history: it documents a century of relationships between men, taken from private photographs.
- Photography fans: the formats run from daguerreotypes and tintypes to photo-booth strips.
- Gift buyers: a large 1.86kg hardback suits an anniversary, a wedding or Pride.
The limits
It is a collection of photographs rather than a written history, so readers wanting the legal and social background will need another book alongside it. At £47 it is also a significant spend, and Amazon UK only had three copies left on the day we checked, so stock may run out. For queer history you can see in person, our V&A LGBTQIA+ tour review covers the free monthly tour of the museum's collection.
Where to buy Loving in the UK
Amazon UK had the hardback at £47 on 2 October 2026. For a signed copy, order from the authors' own site and check postage and import charges first.
FAQs
What is Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love about?
It is a collection of 320 photographs of male couples taken between the 1850s and the 1950s, gathered by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell.
Where did the photographs come from?
Flea markets, antiques shops, family archives and auctions, collected over 20 years. The full collection holds 2,800 images.
How much does Loving cost in the UK?
Amazon UK had the hardback at £47 on 2 October 2026. Signed copies cost $70 from the authors' site, plus postage.
Is there a sequel to Loving?
Yes. Loving II: More Photographic History of Men in Love is the second volume, sold by the authors in a signed edition of 1,000.
How big is the book?
It is a 336-page hardback weighing 1.86kg.
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