Help with Babe Photo

[Leon]

Not being a photo expert, can anyone help identify what type of photo this would be? It is on very thick stock and is approx. 12 1/2" x 9 1/2". It looks old, to me and has great focus, but I don't know other than that....obviously these pics are cropped. My scanner isn't large enough...Thanks for any help on it.

ps..the bottom numbers, on front, lower right are - 92-120

[lumberjack]

This is a publicity photo from a 1927 silent film starring Ruth and Anna Q Nilsson.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by lumberjack

This is a publicity photo from a 1927 silent film starring Ruth and Anna Q Nilsson.

Do you think it would be from that year or later? Thanks for the help...
.

[lumberjack]

I would guess this is a Type I. I have a lobby card of this film and it never occurred to me that these would be later copies.

[TUM301]

Hey Leon, here`s another 8 X 10 publicity shot from the movie. Has the same type numbers lower right corner. Not sure where I got it but believe it to be period, 1927.
1927 Babe Comes Home on site Movie Instructions by Hugh Murphy, on Flickr

[JustinD]

I really like the photo and thought it was cool when I saw Kevin Conway have it on his site. Definitely enough to look into it with a tad of research because I only know enough about photos to be dangerous to myself, lol.

All of the traceable examples I could find were press used and all had a Brown Bros. stamp. These all also include the reference numbers scraped on the negatives.

After much debate, I hit a wall on feeling happy that it was either part of a publicity package that was not used for purposes intended and never stamped for return, Perhaps some period purchasable item meant for scrapbooking, or worst case someone reusing the negatives at a later time in the 40s or 50s.

Again, I am a moron with photos but looking forward to someone with knowledge jumping in as that photo was a long afternoon of thought when I saw it, lol.watching this thread closely because I love new info!

[mrreality68]

very nice photo

[EddieP]

You either have a Fan Photo or the More Desirable Movie Still:

Fan Photo:
These were issued in sizes as small as 3-1/2” X 5” up to 8” X 10” and even 9" X 12", but the most common and most popular are the 5” x 7”. These are the photos a fan would receive in response when writing to their favorite star in care of the studio. They were mass-produced, but high quality photos printed on heavy double-weight stock. They usually carry a facsimile signature, sometimes printed into the negative, other times stamped. Sometimes you'll see a mark identifying the original photographer or studio responsible for the photo, again this information is sometimes seen in the photo negative or sometimes stamped right on back.

Although a much rarer find, sometimes you can acquire these photos with their original mailers, which contain a studio return address, sometimes an ad promoting the star’s latest film, and are postmarked giving an exact date of origin as well.

The 5x7’s seem to be the standard from the late-1910’s through the early-1940’s and then there seems to be a switch over to the smaller sizes (perhaps due to World War II?).

The larger photos were available at a premium to collectors—often the 5x7’s would have a redemption stamp on back offering an 8x10 in exchange for 25 cents.

or

Movie Still aka Publicity Photo
These are all members of the same family, real photographs issued directly by the studio to promote the latest stars and their movies. They were included in press kits, sent to movie theaters to help them promote the latest offerings, and sent to newspapers and magazines for the same reason.

Like movie posters and lobby cards this is an area of great specialization with a huge number of collectors and dealers alike. With a huge market specializing in both standard re-issues and later printings, as well as sometimes shadier later printings of lesser quality, it can sometimes be very difficult to identify original, collectible material.

What follows is a quick primer, but David Cycleback has an incredible online guide loaded with many additional details which is available here.

The safest bet is to purchase Keybook photos, but they are the rarest of the bunch and often carry a heavy premium in price.



Full article here:

https://immortalephemera.com/about-movie-collectibles/

[Leon]

Thanks to member, Mike M for sending this publicity picture over...

[SyrNy1960]

Leon,

Here's one currently on Ebay: 1927 BABE RUTH TYPE 1 ORIGINAL PHOTO “BABE COMES HOME” 8x10 PSA

Tony

[Leon]

I have a concern of mine being a later print because it's a lot larger than 8 x 10. Any thoughts on that?
.

[EddieP]

Originally Posted by Leon

I have a concern of mine being a later print because it's a lot larger than 8 x 10. Any thoughts on that?
.

No. I wound be more concerned if it were 8 x 10. 8 x 10 photo sizes became the standard size of photos in the ‘40s.