[drcy]

Folio implies the prints were stand alones, usually loose in the envelope, box or folder or otherwise loosely bound (such as with string) and intended to be removed as stand alones.

I bought a 1940s Toni Frissell (famous magazine photographer) folio she was hired to photograph, with the folio used to promote/advertise a Western railroad. Or maybe it was sold in the train's gift shop. It was a thin wide box of loose scenic prints, each intended as a display item. The prints themselves had no text except for her faux pre-printed signature at the bottom, but the cover of the box had a colorful graphics and text for the railroad. The complete boxed folio isn't rare-- they were available to the public--, but probably goes for around $1,000, maybe more. As I said, Frissell is a well known photographer, and vintage railroad advertising and memorabilia is popularly collected. I bought it because of the Frissell connection and already owned one or two of her original photos.

Today's trivia answer: Toni Frissell remains the only person to photograph covers for both Vogue and Sports Illustrated magazines. She's best known today as a 1930s-50s fashion photographer, but, in the 1950s, became the first female staff photographer at Sports Illustrated.