Cause A Frockus

Guide to buying vintage photographs

Jun 20, 2014 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns

Vintage photographs are a great way to create meaningful decorative touches in your home. Whether it is a picture of your ancestors or not, older scenes make you feel nostalgic. We’ve already shown you how to care for vintage photos, now let us provide you with a handy guide to buying vintage photographs. We’ll walk through tips for discerning real from fake retro pictures and provide a brief description for the different types of antique photography techniques.

How to tell if a vintage photograph is authentic

Antiques Roadshow is always a great resource for any collector. We found a really helpful article on the subject at hand, written by Wes Cowan of Wesley Cowan’s Historic Americana Auctions in Terrace Park, Ohio. We’ll relay some of his expert tips below. Faking vintage photos is big business. Antique picture technologies like ambrotypes, tintypes, and cartes de visite are very appealing to collectors and as a result forgery artists are taking advantage of uninformed consumers. The best advice to follow when you are considering a photographic purchase: follow your gut. If something doesn’t feel right about the buying process, the item itself, or the dealer then don’t make an investment.

Use your eyes when assessing the authenticity of a photograph. Fakes are made by copying an original photo to create countless, faux editions. This process results in tiny pixels or thin lines of color across the picture. You will be able to see them by examining the item closely. Dealers may use plastic wrap as a clever way to keep you from being able to find these inconsistencies. If you aren’t allowed to look at the actual surface, don’t buy it.

Building off that point, always look at the scenes and subjects themselves. Con artists are re-enacting events in their efforts to create “old” pictures. Look at the people in the print: are they dressed correctly, are they too manicured, or are they surrounded by buildings that are too new? Thoughtfully analyze what you see before you. We’ll leave you with one final piece of solid advice. Only make purchases from a trusted dealer; make relationships with shop owners to develop this level of rapport.

What is a daguerreotype?

This technology was established in 1839 and started the photography craze. It created an image by transferring it onto a very polished silver surface. A variety of metals could be used for the substrate: copper, brass, or 100% silver. You can see an example of this item above.

What is an ambrotype?

This process created an image on a sheet of glass and was first used in the United States around the early 1850s. It’s not as shiny as its predecessor, the daguerreotype, but it was much less expensive. These prints were hand tinted and their contrasts are more subtle.

What is a tintype?

Tintype photos were also called melainotype or ferrotype. To create the picture, the image was transferred onto a thin sheet of lacquer or enamel-coated iron. It was most popular during the mid-1860s. What made a tintype unique was its flexibility. Unlike the previous techniques, a tintype could be done outside of the studio. Photographers could be set up at the local fair and provide their clients with their picture in a matter of moments. Considering the tedious nature of its forerunners, you can imagine how revolutionary this must have been.

What is cartes de visite?

This approach was patented in Paris in 1854. It involved a thin paper photograph being mounted on a thicker stock paper card. It wasn’t initially very popular, but once Emperor Napoleon III was photographed in this format it was the talk of the town. The convenient, wallet-like size made them instantly fashionable as a trading card of sorts. People would often share and swap them among friends. This was especially true during the American Civil War, with soldiers giving their family members pictures before the fighting began.

The concept of a “trading card” photo continued with the cabinet card. These were larger than the cartes de visite and were used mainly after the 1870s. The overwhelming trend of this format makes them a common target for forgeries. Con artists will glue a modern copy of a photo to an authentic cabinet card and then rough them up a bit to make it look old.

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Cause A Frockus would like to thank their tremendous resources: Antiques Roadshow, Wikipedia, and the people who post their images without restriction.

For our readers: What tips do you follow when you are shopping for antique photos?

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