‘Loving II’ – Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell’s second photobook shows more affectionate men through history

After the success of their first photobook of men being affectionate through history, partners and authors Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell have returned with a sequel, “Loving II: More Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s-1950s.”

The reason for the follow-up to the 2020 best-selling original photobook is that the couple have thousands more images to choose from. They selected more than 300 of the best from their 4,000+ print collection, found at flea markets, thrift shops and estate sales throughout the past two decades.

Nini and Treadwell will appear at four events next week, including a slideshow, panel talks and book signings.

Their two books serve as a historical document proving that not only were gay men alive and affectionate through history, but also brave enough to document their love for more than a century. While it’s not known how many of the subjects were actually gay, most of them clearly imply a degree of intimacy, and a few display men kissing passionately. The photos are grouped by subject (sailors, soldiers, laborers, aristocrats) and composition.

Nini, a former ballet dancer in Texas, founded the Denton Ballet Academy, which he owned for 35 years. After he and Treadwell became partners, in 2000 they visited Love Field Antique Mall in Dallas, where they discovered their first collection of male/male photos, and bought it for five dollars. They later moved to New York City, where Treadwell works in the cosmetic industry. Nini joined the faculty at the Joffrey Ballet. The couple were married in 2006.

After years of collecting vintage photos, they created the book project, which reproduced daguerreotypes, glass negatives, tintypes, cabinet cards, photo postcards, photo strips, and snapshots. And the photos are not only from the U.S., but several countries, some collected from online auctions.

The initial publication in early 2000 was met with some trepidation as the couple were in Milan with their publisher just as the COVID pandemic struck. Yet they found an audience.

“Just days before our launch date we had to order a second printing,” write the authors in the Introduction. “The first run was nearly depleted– ahead of publication. People seized onto it as though it were a life preserver floating in a dark, cold ocean. They embraced it as though it were a gasp for a long-delayed breath of air.”

Fortunately, it continued to sell copies, and this time around, the couple are not competing with a pandemic.

So, why publish a second book? Another co-authors’ quote from the introduction explains.

“When an event conjures positive emotion within us, we seek to recapture that experience. It might also be as simple as this: a second edition was practically imminent because we now had so many more photographs that needed to be seen.”

Along with the English version, publisher Five Continents Editions offers French and Italian versions as well.

Nini and Treadwell’s San Francisco events:

Oct. 14 at Book Passage, 5:30pm, 1 Ferry Bldg.   https://www.bookpassage.com/

Oct. 15 at the San Francisco Public Library, Koret Auditorium (as part of LitQuake) 6pm, 100 Larkin St. https://sfpl.org/events/2025/10/15/author-men-love-1850s-1950s-visual-conversation

Oct. 16 at Manny’s, with moderator Jim Provenzano, 6pm, 3092 16th St. https://welcometomannys.com/

Oct. 18 at Fabulosa Books, 7pm, 489 Castro St. https://www.fabulosabooks.com/

‘Loving II: More Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s –1950s,’ by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, Five Continents Editions, 335 pages, $70 hardback.
https://www.fivecontinentseditions.com/en/p/loving-ii/
https://www.loving1000.org/