Dumb question about photos.

[sbfinley]

This is probably a dumb question, but I'm not that smart in the first place.

As my collection is 99% cardboard, I rarely buy memorabilia unless it relates to Tommy Bridges. Recently several Type 1 photos and original negatives, both glass and cell, have popped up on ebay.

You can call me stupid right ... about.... now: If you own the original negative of a photograph do you then own the copy and creative rights to the photograph? Not that I'd be running around making posters and trying to sell them. I just think it would be cool to be able to say, "I own that image." Or at this point are most pre-war images public domain now?

Your help would be greatly appreciated.