EXPLAIN STAMPS ON BACK OF OLD PHOTOS

[Carole Solar]

Hi, I am new to this forum, and I am a fairly new photo collector of Vaudeville/silent film/actors etc. It is confusing on what really is an original photo. Currently I am looking to buy a photo of a silent film vamp from the 1920's. There are two sellers with the same image claiming to have the original. One is double-weight and stamped credit to Clarence S Bull, and the other is credited to Pacific & Atlantic Inc. I know that Bull was a well known photographer during that time. Both are claiming they are original and want about the same price. I do not know what to do. Can anyone help?

Thanks, Carole

 

[webestang64]

Without the photo in hand it would be impossible to tell. Even in hand can be tough.

Here are a few things to read about vintage photos........

http://www.cycleback.com/cycleback_photo_course.pdf

Antique Photos - Useful hints on detecting fake photos

 

[tirediron]

It's also possible if this is a celebrity that both may have printed from the same negative.

 

[vintagesnaps]

That's what I'm thinking... The photographer may have stamped his name on a print used as a studio still. I wonder if he may have also sold and provided a print that was unstamped to Pacific and Atlantic Photos, Inc. for them to make available for newspapers, etc. and they may have put their stamp on the back.

I had to look up Pacific and Atlantic Photos, Inc. because I wasn't familiar with them. I found photos of theirs in the collection of the Library of Congress that were from a Detroit newspaper and were of newsworthy events in other countries. The time frame seems right for a photo from the silent era.

And I love silent movies, so now I'm wondering who it was! lol If the person was well known then it makes sense the photograper may have provided the photo to a studio and to a press photo agency because there would have been interest in it beyond Hollywood (or because it was a Hollywood star!).