Photos

[MVSNYC]

I'm sure this has been discussed here many times, but just wanted to understand the difference between a News Photo (i assume News Service Photo is the same), Wire Photo, and just plain Original Photo. i understand what a Type 1 is, but just wanted to confirm the above. What is the order of desirability?

Thanks!

[drc]

A news service photo is a general term for any kind of photos made by a news service like UPI and AP. News photos is another general term for photos from or used by news services, newspapers, magazines, professional news photographers, etc. News photos and news service photos are sometimes called Press Photos.

A wirephoto is a specific type of news service ('wire service') photo that is a copy of the original and sent through telephone wires. Wirephotos are often to usually the as old as the originals, but have lesser quality images. They can be vintage but not original They were same day sent from the news services to subscribing newspapers. The photos often have the term 'wirephoto' or 'telephoto' somewhere in the caption or stamp. Also, the date in the wirephoto caption is the date the photo was made-- so they're usually easy to date. Wirephoto was both the patented name of the machine and process for sending photos.

Though copies and of lesser quality than originals, most wirephotos are vintage to the image. Meaning, they were usually made very soon after after the image was shot. That was the very purpose of inventing the wirephoto process-- to send current news images asap to newspapers.

Wirephotos weren't widely made until the 1930s. So if you have a 1910s or 1920s Ty Cobb photo, it wouldn't be a wirephoto. The wirephoto machine and process was invented in the 1920s, but they didn't get it working well until the 1930s.

Many people erroneously use wirephoto as a generic term for news photos including the originals, but it's a specific type of photo.

Original = Type 1. Different names for the same thing.

[MVSNYC]

Great info, thank you very much!

So i assume a wire photo is the least desirable of all vintage photos? are news service photos more or less desirable than non-press photo originals?

[thecatspajamas]

And for visual learners:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRTlm_cKZ8Y

What you see them wrapping around the cylindar on the sending end is the Original / Type 1 / News / News Service / Press photo, and what is produced on the receiving end is the Duplicate / Type 3 / Wire Photo.

One thing to keep in mind though, as David alluded to, is that MANY sellers/dealers/auction houses misuse the terms, so you have to be careful. If you're on the buying end, knowing what "tells" to look for is often much more helpful than relying on the seller's verbal description. I've seen original photos from the 1910's described as "wire photos" (impossible, because the process hadn't been invented yet), wire photos with the caption embedded in the front image described as "Type 1 Original," glossy modern prints with "VINTAGE" in the title, etc. Many sellers will just treat these as "keywords" that they throw into the title and description willy-nilly to try and grab your attention and get their items to turn up in your searches.

[drc]

There are many things that go into a photo but, for news photos, and original by a famous photographer would be at the top. Bain, Conlon et al, often stamped their names on the back.

The quality of the image-- pose, clarity, subject, is also essential value.

Photographers for Hollywood studios and Vogue magazine and the like were often famous, and one of their stamps on back is also very desirable. Movie studios and Vogue had their fancy studios to take photos of famous people. Hollywood studio photos are similar to news/news service photos in that they were used for promotion, often sent to the press, and are stamped on back.

[MVSNYC]

Lance- that video was very cool. truly impressive technology for the 1930's.

Thanks guys!