LOVING: Photographs of Men in Love – Exhibition Guide

There’s something about an old photograph that stops you mid-scroll — especially when it captures a kind of tenderness we’ve been told didn’t survive the past. The LOVING exhibition brings together more than 4,000 such images from the Nini and Treadwell collection, offering a rare visual record of same-sex romance from the 1850s to the 1950s. It’s not just a museum show; it’s a quiet rewrite of history.

Photographs in collection: over 4,000 ·
Time period covered: 1850s – 1950s ·
Collection assembled by: Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell ·
First exhibition opening: December 2025 at CMAG

Six key details, one pattern: the collection turns the assumption that queer love was invisible before the 20th century on its head.

What is the LOVING: Photographs of Men in Love exhibition?

Origin of the exhibition

The exhibition is based on a private collection of over 4,000 vintage photographs. Partners Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell gathered the images over two decades, starting when they spotted a portrait of two men in an antique store in Dallas, Texas, 25 years ago. That first purchase grew into the largest known archive of historical same-sex couple photographs. The collection was published as a book in 2020 titled LOVING: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s–1950s, and first exhibited publicly at the Musée Rath in Geneva in 2023. The current Australian showing — co-presented by CMAG and the Delegation of the European Union to Australia — marks its first appearance in the country.

How the collection was assembled

• Nini and Treadwell searched flea markets, eBay, and estate sales across the United States and Europe (HOTA, Home of the Arts)
• Each image was digitised and catalogued — the archive now holds portraits, snapshots, and group photos, nearly all monochromatic (Canberra Critics Circle)
• The couple deliberately sought out images that showed romantic intimacy — men kissing, embracing, or posing with their arms around each other (Artnet (international art market news))

The implication: this private archive provides primary-source evidence that challenges long-held assumptions about queer visibility.

Where and when can you see the LOVING exhibition?

Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG)

The exhibition debuted at CMAG on 6 December 2025 and runs until 5 April 2026. CMAG is located at Cnr London Circuit and City Square, Canberra City. Entry is free, and the gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday.

HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast

After Canberra, the show travels to HOTA in Queensland, running from April to July 2026. HOTA has confirmed the booking on its events calendar, and tickets will be available through its box office.

Future venues and tour dates

• Sydney and Melbourne dates have been announced for the second half of 2026, though exact venues and end dates are still being finalised (Canberra Museum + Gallery (CMAG))
• The exhibition is also complemented at CMAG by a companion show, A Loving City – Queerberra Revisited, a return of a 2017 portrait series by photographer Jane Duong (Canberra Critics Circle)

The takeaway: the tour is largely confined to Australia through 2026, with international expansion uncertain. Visitors outside Australia may need to plan travel.

Who are the collectors behind the photographs?

Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell: background

Nini and Treadwell are a married couple based in Dallas who have been partners for decades. Their day jobs — Nini worked in corporate marketing, Treadwell in graphic design — gave them the resources to travel and acquire photographs. But the driving force was personal: both men see the collection as a reflection of their own relationship.

How they started collecting

• The first image — a studio portrait of two men in suits, circa 1920 — was bought in a Dallas antiques shop. As Nini told ABC News, they were struck by the tenderness in the subjects’ eyes.
• Over the next 20 years, the pair acquired images from the 1850s to the 1950s, storing them in archival boxes in their home. The collection now numbers more than 4,000 pieces (CMAG (public museum)).

Their dedication created a visual legacy that refutes the idea that queer love was always hidden.

How many photographs are in the collection and what do they show?

Size and scope of the archive

More than 4,000 images have been catalogued, covering the period from the 1850s to the 1950s. The vast majority are vernacular photographs — meaning they were not taken by professional artists but by everyday studios or amateurs. The photos are essentially monochromatic, reflecting the era’s technology.

Typical scenes and subjects

• Studio portraits: two men in formalwear, often with one hand on the other’s shoulder or waist (Canberra Critics Circle)
• Snapshots: men kissing on park benches, embracing at beaches, or clowning for the camera at picnics
• Group photos: male couples included in larger family or friend gatherings, sometimes with children
• A handful show men in uniform during the World Wars — images that complicate the idea that military culture was exclusively heterosexual (ABC News)

What this means: the collection refutes the cliché that historical same-sex love was only expressed in secret. Many of these photos were taken in commercial studios and printed as keepsakes — a public act of affection.

Why is the LOVING exhibition important?

Historical visibility of queer love

The exhibition challenges the assumption that same-sex relationships were hidden or rare before the modern gay rights movement. As Neal Treadwell told Artnet, “These men were simply in love, and they wanted to have that memory.” The photos offer visual evidence that defies the erasure of queer history from the mainstream record.

Impact on LGBTQ+ representation

• The exhibition has been featured by Australian media including ABC News, and has drawn visitors from across the country (ABC News)
• Academics have used the collection in papers on visual culture and queer historiography (CMAG (public museum))
• The companion show Queerberra Revisited explicitly connects the vintage photos to contemporary queer life in Canberra

Timeline: from antique store to touring exhibition

• Early 2000s – Nini and Treadwell purchase their first vintage photograph of a male couple in Dallas, Texas (CMAG (public museum))
• 2003–2020 – The couple acquires over 4,000 images from flea markets, eBay, and estate sales (HOTA, Home of the Arts)
• 2020 – Book LOVING: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s–1950s is published (Canberra Critics Circle)
• 2023 – Exhibition preview shown at Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva (CMAG)
• December 2025 – Exhibition opens at CMAG, Canberra (Canberra Critics Circle)
• 2026 (ongoing) – Exhibition tours to HOTA (Gold Coast), Sydney, and Melbourne

The pattern is clear: what began as a personal passion has grown into a globally recognised archive that rewrites queer history.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

These uncertainties remind us that the full scope of the archive remains an evolving story.

“We were immediately struck by the tenderness in their eyes.”

— Hugh Nini, co-collector, as reported by ABC News (Australian public broadcaster)

“These men were simply in love, and they wanted to have that memory.”

— Neal Treadwell, co-collector, quoted in Artnet (international art market news)

“The photos resonate deeply with audiences today, showing that love has always been love.”

— Exhibition curator, CMAG exhibition notes

For Australian visitors, the choice is clear: see the exhibition while it’s in your city — between December 2025 and the end of 2026 — or wait for a return that may not come. For the wider LGBTQ+ community, the Nini and Treadwell collection offers something rarer than any tour date: a visual proof that our history was never hidden after all.

Frequently asked questions

These answers help visitors plan their trip accordingly.