Photos Question - Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, etc.

[jjbond]

Oh thanks. I was fairly sure, but also read that sometimes you have to see it in person (feel the paper weight, etc.) to be sure. (and I was unsure of those white markings near the edges - again, I'm a novice to photography)

So there's Type 1, but two sub-types of Type 1? How does one distinguish a "Press Photo" from an "original photographer shot" (is it just that the first is staged?)

The photos I'm looking at are from 1913-1915, so I guess that makes it easier for me? And I assume it's better to have the original news clipping *attached* to the back of the photo, as opposed to tracking its use down in archives?
Thanks again!

[jjbond]

And doing a deep-dive on the internet, I found another version in a Leland's auction, listed as a wire photo. Would this be a "Type 3" of this photo, based upon the description and the lower quality of the image? I don't see a image of the back, but it has a caption on that side.

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by jjbond

And doing a deep-dive on the internet, would this be a "Type 3" of this photo, based upon the lower quality of the image?

I can't tell, the scan could be bad. And there's no picture of the back.

[jjbond]

Originally Posted by Lucas00

I can't tell, the scan could be bad. And there's no picture of the back.

I updated my post - this rougher image came from Lelands Auction , so I assume the scan is accurate/fine, and they described it as a "wire photograph". (though not sure if that's a generic term, or if it is actually a Type 4, since it sounds like wire photos wouldn't exist until many years afterwards??)

Has someone posted the same image being used over the years as Types 1-4? Would be curious to see the comparisons....

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by jjbond

Oh thanks. I was fairly sure, but also read that sometimes you have to see it in person (feel the paper weight, etc.) to be sure. (and I was unsure of those white markings near the edges - again, I'm a novice to photography)

This particular photo is a contact print. The glass plate negative was put directly onto the photographic paper, it was exposed and then printed. Those white marks are the clips used to hold the negative tight against the paper. that helps improve the sharpness of the print.

[jjbond]

Originally Posted by Michael B

This particular photo is a contact print. The glass plate negative was put directly onto the photographic paper, it was exposed and then printed. Those white marks are the clips used to hold the negative tight against the paper. that helps improve the sharpness of the print.

Ok great! And still a Type 1? It's just how the Type 1 photo was developed back in 1913?

I never expected I'd be learning the ins-and-outs of how photos are made. Fun stuff!

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by jjbond

Ok great! And still a Type 1? It's just how the Type 1 photo was developed back in 1913?

I never expected I'd be learning the ins-and-outs of how photos are made. Fun stuff!

They had enlargers that could hold the glass plates to make larger prints. It was not as practical if they were doing it for a newspaper. They did not need large images. The glass plate negatives were usually 4x5 or 5x7. Contact prints were the quickest and most efficient way to print. You did not need to move the bellows of the enlarger up and down or focus the lens. If the negative had good emulsion and was sharp it was fairly easy to get contact prints that were properly exposed. I have done it with some in my archives. I will try to dig them out over the weekend. I actually enjoy working in a darkroom though I do not get the chance that often. It is fun to see the image appear before your eyes as you are swishing the developer back and forth over the paper.