Men in Suits by Gust Landin
These two unknown men were photographed in suits by Gust Landin, a photographer based in “Duluth’s Scandinavian West End” at 24 21st Ave. W. According to the memories referenced here, Mr. Landin provided suits to his subjects if they wanted to look more affluent. That perhaps explains the ill-fitting suit on the younger man.
These types of real photos printed on postcard backings were popular in the 1910s, and Mr. Landin obtained some unwanted fame in March of 1918 as “the first victim of the Knights of Liberty” and was tarred and feathered for his “disloyalty” to the United States war effort.
The building that Mr. Landin used as a photography studio still exists, even though it is hard to recognize as a historic building now. County records say that it was built in 1947, but it’s likely that was when it was remodeled. It still seems to show a photographer’s skylight, as was typical before modern flash. It is even referenced in one of his advertisements for his “progressive photo work (the blocks in the middle seem to be a window).
Traces of the past are still all around us, if we know where to look.
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