Wirephotos

[Archive]

Posted By: davidcycleback

Dylan, your photo looks like a second generation photo used by the press-- newspaper, magazine, other. It likely was supplied by a news service.

A news paper, say the Chicago Tribune, would own photos from many sources, including ACME and AP, but also photos shot by their own photographers and freelancers. The photos would include originals, wirephotos and second generation images-- all of them could potentially be used to make pictures for the newspaper.

If a photo has sizing text on back, that often to usually means it was used to make a picture in the publication.

A collector doesn't have to give a formal name to a photo (press photo? news photo? news service photo? newspaper photo?). You can simply call it a photograph then give some detail about it-- "For sale a photograph that appears to have come from a newspaper or magazine". In cases, a collector won't know exactly where a photo came from or how it was used, and will have to give an educated opinion. Obviously original V reprint and new V modern are important distinctions, but a collector doesn't have to break into cold sweats for fear they use the wrong formal name for a photo. If someone wanted to call Dylan's photo a news photo or press photo or news service photo or photo for a publication, those are all fine enough names to me.

I personally categorize all of these types of photos as 'press and publishing photos,' which means all photos made by or for the press and publishing (newspapers, magazines, books, etc). This will include originals by famous magazine photographers, wirephotos and later generations from the archives of a small time newspaper.