Men Posing With A Chicken

Back in the Civil War era, going to a photographer's studio and getting your portrait taken wasn't cheap. People made sure they were dressed in their finest clothes and looked their best. So why did these men choose to pose with a chicken? It appears to be the same chicken in both shots. Was it a prize chicken? Or just a favorite pet? Unfortunately the backstory to these photos has been lost to time. (via Photo_History on Flickr)

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Posted By: Alex - Mon Mar 05, 2012
Category: Animals | Photography and Photographers

Comments

It appears to be a hen and there doesn't seem to be a rubber band in the photos so I haven't got a clue.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 03/05/12 at 12:17 PM

The Cock-A-Doodle-Do Club? A very tame chicken, must be used to human contact.

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 03/05/12 at 12:27 PM

Even then men were proud to have a large cock.

Posted by t in Erie on 03/05/12 at 12:40 PM

Perhaps, as photos weren't cheap, they needed to be egged on

Or perhaps they were hen-pecked into it

Posted by Fluffy Bunny Slippers on 03/05/12 at 01:52 PM

If the chicken wasn't in the photo the subjects would be just caught staring at the camera. It is for variety and interest. Sort of like taking a picture of your littlest one naked on a fuzzy rug. A bare bottom on a bare floor is not as interesting.

Posted by KDP on 03/05/12 at 04:01 PM

That bird must be stuffed.

A live chicken would not hold still for the time needed for an exposure for those pictures.

Posted by JohnD1 on 03/05/12 at 04:18 PM

Isn't that Captain Jack "Iron Talons" Bunting, the only chicken to serve in the Mexican War?

Posted by Mark on 03/05/12 at 05:35 PM

My interest was piqued so I went'a'lookin' and dug this up. Gen. Lee's Chicken

Had the bird been the male of the species then it could have been a regimental symbol (Fighting Cocks for example). But it was just a hen.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 03/06/12 at 05:47 AM

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