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** QUESTION: What is a chromolithograph?
** ANSWER: While it sounds
technical, chromolithograph is a nickname for particularly brightly
colored lithography. It was
originally used in 19th century fine arts, but is also used in the early
collectable arts. If you find a
turn of the 20th century lithographic trade card or advertising sign with
brilliant colors, you can call it a chromolithograph if you want.
With
collectables, the term is generally applied to antique items only, and
not to something like a 1955 Topps baseball card or 2000 advertising
poster.
** QUESTION: What’s a tintype
CDV? How is it different than a
normal CDV?
** ANSWER: A carte de visite, popularly nicknamed
CDV, is a miniature version of the cabinet card photograph. It consists of a paper photographic
print pasted to a larger card. On
back or front, the card will often have the stamp or other mark of the
photographic studio where they were made.
These were popular in the mid to late 19th century.
A tintype
CDV has the appearance of a regular CDV, but has a tintype photograph
(image on an iron plate) instead of a paper photograph. Instead of being pasted to the front
of the card, the tintype is held inside.
A little hole in the center of the card allows the photographic
image to be seen from the outside.
The visiable image area on the tintype CDV is usually much smaller
than with the regular CDV. The
tintype can be removed from its pouch.
Tintype CDVs were most popular around the 1860s.
QUESTION: Were the Harper’s Woodcuts
originally hand colored? I see
versions that are in color?
ANSWER:
The 1800s Harper’s Woodcuts were not published/sold in color. Any color would have been added by its
subsequent owner. Most of the colored
prints one finds were colored many years ago.
It is up to
the potential buyer to decide whether the coloring adds or subtracts from
the value. Some collectors
automatically consider any alterations not authorized by the publisher or
issuer to be bad. Some collectors
pay a premium for Harper’s Woodcuts that has vintage and attractive hand
painted colors.
Some modern
reprints are in color. These
reprints are easily identified in person as there is no printing on the
back of the sheet (Harper’s were printed as part of a newspaper, so will
have text and/or pictures on back), and the image is made up of the fine
half-tone dots. They are also
usually of different size than the originals.
QUESTION: I have heard that some of the Ray
O Prints Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig are reprints. Are you aware of this?
ANSWER:
I advise care, though not paranoia, when purchasing one of these
items.
The circa
1930 Ray O Prints were sold as little photographic kit that allowed a kid
to make his or her own photograph of a famous American. The kid would receive a photographic
negative and a snapshot sized piece of photographic paper. The resulting photo would be of a
famous American. Subjects included
Ruth and Gehrig, boxer Jack Dempsy, Herbert Hoover and Charles Lindbergh. The photos, which resemble blank backed
trading cards, are check listed in the Standard Catalog of Baseball
cards.
The problem
is that in modern times someone can take the original negative and make
modern versions of the photos. All
it takes is more photographic paper.
It has long been rumored that many of the Ray of Prints on the market
are modern versions. I have not
seen a Ray O Print in person in several years, so am offering here
nothing more than my impressions.
I have seen an inordinate number of high grade Ray O Prints for
sale— which, at least, raises an eyebrow.
As someone who specializes in 20th century photographs, I can tell
you that Mint Pre-WWII photographs are as common as hen’s teeth. I own thousands of photographs and not
a single one is in Mint condition.
The
collector or dealer experienced with vintage photographs should not have
difficulty distinguishing between vintage and modern versions. In particular, the vintage versions
will often have distinct signs of aging (possibly including silvering to
the image) that won’t appear on a modern version. A quick shine of a black light will
identify many modern versions.
The
beginning collector’s best bet is to buy a Ray O Print when the original
kit, including negative, comes with it.
From a straight collecting standpoint, it would be neat to have
the entire kit anyway.
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