Are Composite photos by nature type 3 or 4?

[drcy]

If you look at 1800s composite photos, they are about 50/50 made both way. Printing a single print from individual negatives one after the other, or making a physical composite on a board with ornate design then photographing that all at once. All other things equivalent (say both are vintage 1869 composites of the 1869 Reds), each way will be value the same and the technicality of how the composite was made will be just that-- a technicality for photography philosophers to debate on a chat board and most others won't care either way about. In fact, if the 'second generation' way looks far nicer than the first way (It's got a cooler design, etc), it will be worth more. Yes, in that case, the technically second generation photo will be valued more than the first generation-- perhaps far more if the first generation is too basic and ugly.

People who judge photos strictly by their technicalities, type labels and color coded pie chart representations miss the forrest for the trees, think reading the 50 page Cliff Notes is the same as reading the novel, miss the scenic Swiss Alps attractions going by their car window because their nose is stuck in the road map. Photos are also judged and valued for their artistic, aesthetic and display values.

For Scott's interesting mix and match photo, it's a cool vintage photo. Whether it's technically a a "Type I" or not is just that-- a technicality. An interesting topic for chatboard discussion, but will have no effect on its sale price. It's a cool vintage photo and valued on that criterion. Perhaps the only way the photographer could have made that unique and interesting design that one finds so unique and interesting was to rephotograph the cut out photo on the design. You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Some might both say it contains a photo of a photo, but is still original because it's vintage and the overall design is unique. Scott, as the owner, might say "Irrelevant to what it technically is, it still costs $70. Call it a Type XXVII photo and the price is still $70. If you want to save money, buy two photos from my eBay store and I'l combine shipping."