Billy The Kid Tintype, Famous Portrait Of The Iconic Outlaw, Up For Auction In Denver

DENVER -- The iconic portrait of Billy the Kid that led to the mistaken belief that the outlaw was a southpaw is going up for sale this weekend.

A tintype image taken in 1879 or 1880 in Fort Sumner, N.M., showing the gunslinger with a Winchester rifle in his right hand and a Colt revolver holstered on his left is thought to be the only surviving depiction of the man also known as William H. Bonney.

The portrait led those unaware that tintype photos are reverse images to assume he was a lefty. The misinformation was so widespread that Paul Newman played the outlaw in the 1958 Western "The Left Handed Gun."

The portrait is set to be auctioned in Denver on Saturday at the 22nd Annual Old West Show & Auction.

Comments

[kvolovesart]

11:47 AM on 06/30/2011

So cool we have a picture of this historic figure...

[Oonagh]

05:40 PM on 06/27/2011

I think I read Koch bought it...

[madisonhack]

11:48 PM on 06/25/2011

He made up for it by killing 21 people with his right hand.

[walkingman50]

10:07 PM on 06/25/2011

I have lived a whole lot of years and just now found out Billy the Kid was not left handed. I guess it's true you learn something new everyday.

[Woody Hall]

09:17 PM on 06/25/2011

I have searched for many years , to find the prop- gun " Marshall Dillon " , "Matt", "James Arrness" , used in GUNSMOKE to no avail . Can anyone help me , or know the answer .?

[oldiron21]

12:54 AM on 06/26/2011

That gun used in the Gunsmoke series as well as the one used by "Festus" in the same series is the proud property of Mr. James E. Rogers in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has them framed and includes appropriate paperwork showing rental agreements with the studio prop dept for them as well as their holsters. They are framed and hang in his NBC affiliate there where I walked by them daily for 8 years. He has one of the largest private or public collections of western movie memoribilia including many props & weapons from John Wayne movies such as The Kentuckian, Back to Bataan and 100 Rifles. Many beautiful original framed movie posters can be seen adorning the walls of his private car museum where I was the painter at Sunbelt Classic and Antique Car Museum and it can be seen online. Guns used by John Wayne and Lee Marvin from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" are displayed across the hall as well. Cudos to Jim for preserving this part of movie history for us all ! I also have an original set used script and signed James Arness photo on sale ..www.thetimberwindranch.com.

[mdennish]

08:59 PM on 06/25/2011

His attire proves that he did subscribe to GQ magazine.

[mslafran009]

08:43 PM on 06/25/2011

According to Wikipedia, he was born on Allen Street, NYC. Right around the "Five Points" section.

[jeremyfive]

08:34 PM on 06/25/2011

From the looks of this photo, I'm betting that Billy the Kid's oral hygiene was not pristine.

[fumes]

07:51 PM on 06/25/2011

poor Kid..

they caught him growing pot in his back yard..

and then hunted him down like a dog.

[Arthur Spooner]

07:41 PM on 06/25/2011

Really? Our prisons are full of young men his age that have done worst. We are a nation salvages and are too conceeded to know it.

[usmc32yr]

07:52 PM on 06/25/2011

You are proof that public education is a failure .

[bj the dj]

08:00 PM on 06/25/2011

amen!

[Robert Marino]

09:05 PM on 06/25/2011

Really,what do we SALVAGE ?

[JASON WALTER]

10:07 PM on 06/25/2011

I think he meant savages. And when he said worst he meant worse. His whole comment basically tried to murder the English language.

[mrvnlimar]

10:12 PM on 06/25/2011

And what do we CONCEDE, and to who?

[Southrnbelle]

07:37 PM on 06/25/2011

Cool!

[BigCatfish]

07:15 PM on 06/25/2011

If you don't think America worships its criminals, then take a look at some of the actors who have portrayed Billy the Kid:

Robert Taylor
Paul Newman
Marlon Brando
Kris Kristofferson
Val Kilmer
Emilio Estavez

[TongoRad]

08:46 PM on 06/25/2011

My favorite portrayal was Micheal J Pollard in 1972's "Dirty Little Billy." Billy is not portrayed as a hero. In fact the tagline for the film is "Billy The Kid Is A Punk."
A really good film if you can find it.

[Amanda Matthews]

12:18 AM on 06/26/2011

Just think of the next movies glorifying master criminals. Wonder who plays Paulson, Blankfien, & Co. ?

The "look over there, Saddam's got wmds" boy and girls will be hard to cast.

[archermathews]

06:48 PM on 06/25/2011

Research in my family tree says My family is direct descendents of Billy..William McCarty (Bonney)..looks nothing like my family...I guess thta is a good thing..but I would like to have that photo..

[usmc32yr]

07:53 PM on 06/25/2011

Something I would be real proud of you are a descendant of a murderer .

[stlbrz]

08:12 PM on 06/25/2011

He only killed those in need of killing. Do some research on the guy.

[lbakerathens]

08:20 PM on 06/25/2011

I know this is off the subject. On the memorial at the Alamo, there are 2 Bakers listed. We know that one is an ancestor, still working on the other. They came with Davy Crockett. I am real proud of that.

[archermathews]

08:22 PM on 06/25/2011

Nope, never said I was proud..just that I was related..nothing more..

[Cpt Rick]

06:23 PM on 06/25/2011

Billy the kid may have looked tough as nails but in reality I don't believe he was all that he was portayed in the history books. Like everything else thats printed back thenand now reporters, newspaper men and the like always made heroes out of average type people in order to increase circulation of their papers ect. Yes he probably was in a few scrapes and such but i hardly believe he could gun down anyone he wanted to at any given time. No person is that good even today. Just remember if a person is that good they wwouldn't have died at such a young age as this Billy the kid. Some were just bushwhackers shooting people in the back to escape the wrath of a bullet.

[usmc32yr]

07:58 PM on 06/25/2011

That is not true there is a man who can draw and fire so fast he can break two balloons and he has to show you the brass to know he fired twice .I wish I could remember his name but I saw an exhibition in the 90's he was a company rep for Colt .Anybody out there remember this guy ? .He could toss an aspirin in the air and bust it with a .22 rifle .

[Bluehusker]

09:01 PM on 06/25/2011

I don't know if they do anymore, but they use'd to make a .22 bird shot round. I'll bet that's how he did it. Annie Oakley used it to. I had some to keep a stray dog off my place once.

[archermathews]

10:09 PM on 06/25/2011

Bob London

[dandan1]

06:19 PM on 06/25/2011

I know that there are people who hate to have it pointed out, but there are large areas of NM that are still pretty much wild west territory.

[usmc32yr]

07:59 PM on 06/25/2011

Southeast Oklahoma and parts of Texas are still pretty lawless ...