Kaloma: The 1914 Purported Photograph of Josie Earp

A silver gelatin photo from "Kaloma", purported to be a photograph of Josephine Earp, the common-law wife of Old West legend Wyatt Earp. Measuring 4.75" x 11.75", New York, dated 1914. Marked "Kaloma" by Pastime Novelty Co. of New York. A vignetted photograph of a beautiful young woman scantily clad and wrapped in a sheer wrap. It appears that the right edge of the photograph may have been slightly trimmed. Minor soiling and toning throughout. There is a 0.5" tear at the top center of the photograph, which does not detract from the attractiveness of the image. Mounting residue on verso.

A great deal of controversy surrounds this 1914 image of this beautiful young woman boldly posed for the camera in a sheer gauze. Titled "Kaloma," it was originally produced as an art print and became popular as a pinup during WWI. In 1967, historian Glenn Boyer published a book entitled “I Married Wyatt Earp” and used the "Kaloma" for the cover art of his book - forever aligning the image with Josephine Earp. This usage caused a great deal of commotion in the historical community who argued that Earp, who was born in 1861, would have been 53 in 1914 when the photograph was taken. However, as the issue became more popular, "Kaloma" was retroactively claimed to be a later print of an image of Josephine taken in Tombstone in 1881 when she would have been 19 or 20. Several other legends rose to the surface, with people claiming to have witnessed the event or known the photographer but these have never been satisfactorily proven. Whether or not this portrait truly is of Josephine Earp, it has lived on in American culture. "Kaloma" appeared in numerous other popular advertising and, perhaps most famously, it was used as the main image for a Vanilla Fudge and The Charles Lloyd Quartet concert poster made by Alton Kelley.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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