Here are brothers Bill and Arthur McClain, maybe in the early 1930s. I’m not entirely certain what house is in the background, but it seems likely that it is the McClain house in Tallman. given Arthur’s attire.

As you can see, this photo has had a rough life. It has been crinkled in places and scuffed and scratched all over.

Bill looks considerably older here than in the photo of him with the cactus in yesterday’s post (although the cactus picture isn’t that clear of him because so much of it is cactus ;–). He also looks older here than in the photo of him with his baby sister Clara in this previous post (that was taken in the mid-1920s). So I’m guessing maybe this was in the early 1930s.

Is that a cigar in Bill’s hand? Can’t tell for sure, but it looks like one. If it is, that somehow seems consistent with what we are told of his personality. A note on the back of this photo records Mom’s/Florence’s description of him when I asked. (At the time I asked, I don’t think I’d ever heard of her Uncle Bill before.) She said only that he was a “drifter” and that he “visited from time to time.”

It is striking how much taller and huskier he is than Arthur. They hardly look like siblings. In the family photo from about 1895, in this previous post, Bill and Charlie (who were about 18 and 20, respectively) look like they are about the same height and build. The rest of the boys are too young to make a meaningful comparison. Maybe Charlie was significantly taller than Arthur also. I don’t recall any photos of Charlie and Arthur as adults that would show their height. (If you know something about this, please speak up!)