[Johnphotoman]

Thank you- TCMA Andrew Aronstein:

I am no expert, I believe you are right, but I was in printing for many years, I know you can make a print from the original negative and add names to a new print in black or white, right from the original negative, if it was in white, it would be called a knockout, all that means is the white part of the photo paper would come through, as white type, (name).

There would be no need to make a copy from a print to do so. But that is in printing, I do not know how it was done with the old photos. But as you said it would be easier to make a photostat from the original negative, and use that to make a new negative to mass produce photos with the names on them.

As you know a copy from a print (photostat) would have less quality, then to make a second negative from that photostat you lose even more quality, I do not not see that in photos I have. You can see this in the images I have posted. I used my phone to take the images, and you can see the poor quality. Not to mention the photo paper used on the photos looks to be from the 1940s, I guess a type 3 or 4 could still be from the 1940s.

I do not know. I thank you for your help. I have no plans to sell, but to keep them in the collection, They have been in the family since 1965. I was just thinking how valuable they could be, and have that information in my files so if they get passed down, the family member would have some idea of what they have.
Thanks John.