Unknown Early Buk Photo? (1 Viewer)

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Johnny Brewton posted this on facebook. He said that John Martin says that it is not Buk. If it is not, DAMN, it is his doppelganger. Any thoughts? It seems to be the right time....

who.jpg
 
If I did'nt know any better I would think it was a photo of Buk. Of course, the face is much thinner, but maybe he was living on a Payday candy a day at the time.:D The lips looks a bit thicker than Buk's, I think, but it could easily be his twin brother. Pretty spooky!
 
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I thought the same thing, Bill, when I saw that on Brewton's Facebook page. Look at the eyes, the cheeks, the nose. Not just a facial resemblance; it feels like he's behind that face. If I had to bet, I'd lay money on it being him.
 
It was a facebook post. He mentions that John Martin says that it is not Bukowski, but otherwise, there is no info that would help. I'll ask him if there is a backmark. Certainly if it is from L.A. that would help make the argument...
Bill
 
I swear I've seen a similar shot before. it's a photo booth picture, no? maybe I've seen one of the others from the strip.

I'd bet my left nut it's Bukowski. look at the picture in Uncle Howie's Bukowski in Pictures (pg. 43, lower right). it even looks like the same shirt.
 
That looks like Henry Charles Bukowski Jnr to me, circa 1947.
 
Very amazing...The sunken cheeks with the signs of the acne vulgaris... This, if it is Buk, seems to me the most remarkable photo I've seen from this period.
 
That curved scar over the left eyebrow should be visible on other photos...
 
I think that's just aging/discolouration of the photo.

It does look like it's mounted behind glass, like an exhibit somewhere.
 
Whoa. Eyes, nose, hairline ... if that's not Bukowski something really strange is going on.

Would be very interesting to hear where this picture is coming from.
 
I think that's just aging/discolouration of the photo.

It does look like it's mounted behind glass, like an exhibit somewhere.
Maybe, but isn't there a similar line / scar in this pic?:
bukowski043.jpg
 
It may be possible to date the photo from the holder, within a range if years. That could rule it out as Buk, or it could add weight to the possibility it's him.

As much as it looks exactly like him, it could just be a coincidence. At any given time there have been millions of young men that age. There's also a phenomenon where people during a certain period resemble each other more than people from different periods. It's partly style of clothing and hair cuts, but it's also deeper than that, something about how they carry themselves, how they present to the world. So maybe that's what's going on here. A guy in the late 40s who just happens to look exactly like Bukowski. But I still think it's him. Far too dead on even for coincidence. It may be a random, unidentified photo that somebody found in a thrift store or yard sale, that just happens to be a picture of Buk. That could happen. Just because it isn't identified as him doesn't mean it's not him. But if it says "Jerry Bersky" on the back, it's just a coincidence.
 
[...] The lips looks a bit thicker than Buk's, I think, [...]
That's what I was thinking. (Buk hat a habit of pressing his lips together, like in order to cope with pain.)
But other than that, it has much of him.
 
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Mr. Martin would like this "conversation" and bald-faced speculation to immediately cease, as he has made clear in his statement, declaration and proclamation that the gentleman depicted in the photograph in question is not Mr. Bukowski.

Mr. Martin further requests that this thread be closed immediately and stricken from the record and the Internet at large, ipso facto and prima facie, et al.

Thank you.
 
That's what I was thinking. (Buk hat a habit of pressing his lips together, like in order to cope with pain.)
But other than that, it has much of him.

Right! The shape of the lips are different too, especially the upper lip. That's why I think it is'nt Buk. Besides, we have all heard of uncanny look-a-likes, and I think we have one of them here. I could be wrong of course.
 
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Roni, thanks for the early photos. The ones that look closest to being at the same age as the automat photo are those at 11 and 12 o'clock, with neck tie, and the high school annual shot at 5 o'clock. The others look about 10 years older to me. I'm not sure I agree about the lips in the unknown photo being fuller or a different shape. Any apparent difference could be the moustache in the later photos. The clean-shaven high school face lips look very similar to the "unknown" photo, I think. The ear shape is very similar, too. A digital overlay of the unknown photo with the earliest photos from this age would be interesting -- one of those match ups where the distance between key points is compared.
 
Compared to the yearbook photo, I still think it's Bukowski. Happy New Year.
 
the lips look bigger because he's so gaunt.

as for the different shape of lips, in all the pics roni posted he's very slightly smiling, unlike this mystery photo.

you can also see the mole under the edge of his left eye in the picture, as well as his dark upper and lower eyelids.

also a good way to compare is the shape of the ears. they curl out slightly at the top and bottom.

the acne scars below his bottom lip also seem to match.

the haunted expression alone makes me believe it's him. amazing pic.
 
[...] those at 11 and 12 o'clock, with neck tie, and the high school annual shot at 5 o'clock.
The others look about 10 years older [...]
you're right, the others are older, but it's not easy to find old Buk-pics at all. The out-of-focus-pic at 7 o'clock is from 1956, the others are early 60s.

I still think, the lips are the major point against it being Buk. (He sure isn't "smiling" at 2 o'clock, btw.) In most of the pics at any time we know, he's either pressing his lips together or at least has a slim upper lip. I've never seen his upper lip being curled in such a delicate way.

[...] the shape of the ears. [...]
You're definitely right on the ears! These are striking. Would've been interesting to see and compare the curls inside the ear-conch.

What I find remarkable about the nose is, the one on the mystic pic seems to look closer to the later ones (at 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock) than to the earlier ones (yearbook), but this can be a matter of perspective.

Maybe one of you detectives can come up with another VERY early shot from a similar perspective, that helps us decide.

I'm still not convinced. The lips don't convince me.
 
What I find remarkable about the nose is, the one on the mystic pic seems to look closer to the later ones (at 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock) than to the earlier ones (yearbook), but this can be a matter of perspective.
Interesting; to me, the nose in the yearbook photo is identical to the nose in the "unknown" picture. But there's something about the photo that keeps me from being almost sure that it's Buk. I can't say just what that is though.
 
i can't just kannt see in comparing those photos anything to doubt that that is not bukowski. Mr Martin seems definite about it. We'd like to know whoy. I mean why.
 
I'm still not convinced. The lips don't convince me.

Same here! I've never seen a photo of Buk where his upper lip curled like that.
 
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When I first saw the photo, I thought that the curled up corners of the mouth weren't Buk's. But then I looked at the crease which is between the lips and the chin. That crease has the same irregular line as in the later photos. My first impression was that it wasn't him but now I think that it is not impossible.
 
When I first saw the photo, I thought that the curled up corners of the mouth weren't Buk's. But then I looked at the crease which is between the lips and the chin. That crease has the same irregular line as in the later photos. My first impression was that it wasn't him but now I think that it is not impossible.

Then what about the "cupid's bow" on the upper lip? I think it looks very different from Buk's. More feminine, if you like, and a "cupid's bow" does'nt change its shape over the years.
 
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If's it's an automat photo, it would have been taken in a booth, right?

The curl at the ends of his lips could be due to the angle. He has his head tilted downward. That would make the lips look curled up at the ends, Joker style. But the eyes are what have me thinking it's Buk. I've done about 30 paintings of him and those eyes are always the hardest part. I've spent hours drawing the lids, their various planes and folds, the relation of the parts. They are very unique eyes, and this guy has them.
 
Lips seem different, but this could be because of the angle, weight loss or whatever.

Eyes, eyebrows, ears, hairline and nose seem to be genuine Bukowski.

5:1 it's him.
 
Would help to know something (anything) about the picture.
This is the only thing that would help further, since we've discussed all his "distinguished features" over now. Right?
But who'd be able to tell us about the pic? Who's this Johnny Brewton guy?

edit: o.k., I've just found out about Mr. Brewton. A very fine guy it seems. Since some cats here know him, we may be able to get some info, eh?
 
Johnny Brewton is the man! Here's what he says:
That was an antique Photomatic photo-booth photo. Spotted at an exhibit around 12 years ago. John Martin firmly disagreed with me about that person being Charles Bukowski. I firmly disagreed with John and believe it really is. We may never know.
I would like to thank Mr. Brewton once again here for shedding some light on this mysterious photo and for his quick and generous response.

P.S. Mr. Brewton replied to my email the very same day i wrote to him, but I (being a stupid bastard and all) checked the mailbox for the second time only this morning. The first time I checked it before going to sleep on Sunday, blame the time zones.
 
wow i forgot about that pic. did he say what the exhibit was about? he doesn't own it but took a pic because
he thought it was bukowski? where is this pic now i wonder.

btw john martin is an idiot asshole...
 
From what he said I reckon it was the exhibit of discarded photo-booth photographs some crazy artist found in a landfill or some garbage can and made a selection of the bunch to present to the general public. Even if you don't know anything at all about Bukowski that strange mug is enough to captivate your eyes and mind, and I bet there were plenty other interesting faces exhibited side by side with Bukowski's.

I told Johnny Brewton to not hesitate to present any part of information regarding the photo he may additionally recall.
Personally, I'm glad he responded at all. A year ago I sent an email to a guy from a LA Anthology photo, asking for help in disclosing who's who in it and never heard a word from him (maybe the email address was obsolete). It's hard to reach some people.

I hope Mr. Brewton will visit this place and this thread (I dropped him the links) and give us his additional two cents (or dollars).
However, I'm afraid he shared with us all he can recall at the moment (and is willing to share), which I quoted in my previous post.
 

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