Guide to Collecting Photographs

The invention of photography in the 1830s opened up new vistas, a new way of seeing that has forever changed the way we view the world. In fact, it's difficult for the modern mind to imagine the world before photography. Without photographic evidence, we're not as willing to grant the authenticity of an event, person or place.

Together with the allied fields of film and video, photography has become the de facto record of our lives. The pervasiveness of photographic images is matched only by the universality of the act of photographing. Not everyone paints. Few of us have wielded a sculptor's hammer and chisel. But almost all of us have taken photographs. Hundreds, if not thousands of photographs.

The egalitarian nature of photography helps explains its widespread appeal. As photographers, we can appreciate great photographs. In fact, many of the photographers we revere today were self-taught and did their best work as amateurs. Eugene Atget, for example, labored in obscurity for decades cataloguing his beloved Paris. His work went largely unnoticed at the time, but is now considered one of the milestones in the history of photography.

But if you've ever become glassy eyed looking at someone else's travel snapshots, you already know that the mere act of taking a photograph doesn't qualify as art. What separates the amateur shutterbug from the artist is not technology-even the weekend hobbyist has access to much the same hardware as the pros-nor even strictly technique. It is an artistic vision that crafts images both before and after the shutter is opened.

The challenge for the collector is to identify this artistic vision and separate the truly great (and therefore collectible) artists from the ordinary. Fortunately, the market has done some of the work for you. This article will introduce you to the fine art of photography and how to avoid some of the pitfalls of this fast growing field of collecting.

A Snapshot of Photography's Past

Perhaps more than any other art form, photography's progress parallels with technological developments. Born during the Industrial Revolution, photography's evolution was determined as much by technological breakthroughs as artistic movements.

Throughout most of the nineteenth century, photographers were hamstrung by expensive, bulky apparatus and wet-plate film that had to be diligently developed after each exposure before a new plate could be readied. This helps explain the overwhelming number of sitting portraits, landscapes and still lives in early photographs. The camera could capture reality- - if reality would stand still. It would take the invention of the dry plate, better lenses and the handheld camera before photographers could capture action, spontaneity and the candid moment that have become hallmarks of the medium.

Photography's development was also hindered by philosophical roadblocks. The uncanny verisimilitude of photography burdened it with a reputation as a lesser art -- if it was considered an art at all. It took nearly a century to shake off the widespread conviction that photography is mere technique -- that the camera does the work and the photographer merely releases the shutter.

In 1861, an English critic wrote, "Hitherto photography has been principally content with representing Truth. Can its sphere not be enlarged? And may it not aspire to delineate beauty, too?" In answer to this question, some early artists began to use soft focus and painterly compositions, often of pastoral subject matter. Calling themselves pictorialists, these amateur photographers began to lay claim to photography's status as an art form, holding salons and forming camera clubs to promote their cause.

At the same time, it became apparent that photographers with no artistic aspirations were capable of producing works of enduring beauty and power. Matthew Brady's images of the American Civil War or Jacob Riis' muckraking exposure of the slum conditions in New York City showed clearly that photography could be a force for social change.

By the turn of the twentieth century, this pure photographic style gained its artistic credentials. Progressive artists began to sing the praises of "photographs that look like photographs." The manipulation of images favored by the pictorialists was rejected in favor of what was dubbed the "straight style." The straight style's deceptive simplicity belies the careful composition and eye for pattern, light and contrast that distinguishes the best work of this genre. In the hands of a master like Edward Weston or Paul Strand, a photograph of a cloud or sand dunes becomes a rich canvas full of nuance and mystery.

The First World War had a profound impact on art, not least on photography. In the disillusionment that followed, the old verities were shaken and artists turned their back on received wisdom. It had been widely taught, for example, that the camera must always be held horizontal when taking an image. Now, in a world increasingly off balance, the viewpoint of the camera shifted radically. This new perspective fit perfectly with the currents flowing through the art world. Influenced by cubism, Dadaism and modernism, photographers began using double exposures, extreme close-ups, photomontage, solarization and other techniques.

By the 1930s, photography had firmly established its place in the visual arts. During the Depression, the U.S. government works programs put photographers in the field documenting social conditions across the country. The increasing use of photographs in the media (Life magazine, for example, was launched in 1936) expanded the role and status of photojournalism. And, in 1940, the Museum of Modern Art established a Department of Photography, the first of its kind in any museum.

The first decades of the twentieth century laid the foundation for much of what followed in photography. The subject matter may be dated, but the great photographers of the 1920s or 1940s still look modern to our 21st-century eyes. Between then and now, photographers have integrated new technological advances - especially color photography - and further expanded the notion of what photography can do.

What is the future of photography? One only has to look at digital imaging and the use of software in shaping images to see that the art is as mutable as the images it creates. We've lived with photography for nearly two centuries

The Collectors Market

The history of photography is relatively brief. The history of collecting photography is even shorter. Until the 1970s, photography collecting had been the preserve of a small group who recognized the merits of fine photography and were willing to pay for it. All that changed in the space of a few years. Thirty years ago, for example, there were a handful of galleries in the United States devoted to photography. Today there are more than 500 and the field continues to grow.

The growth of the fine photography market has been accompanied by a breathtaking rise in values. In the 1960s, only a handful of photographers could command respectable prices for their work-and then only from a small pool of collectors. The explosion of collecting since then has steadily driven prices skyward.

Enough time has elapsed since the collectors market took off in the 1970s for a canon of great artists to emerge. Like the Old Masters of painting, these acknowledged masters represent a relatively safe (though pricey) investment. After a terrific run up in the last three decades, these blue chip artists will probably command steadily higher prices in years to come.

In 1999, Bonhams & Butterfields established new auction records, including works by the California modernist Imogene Cunningham. The gelatin silver print Triangles, 1928, signed and dated with Cunningham's Mills College label attached brought $222,500. Calla, circa 1925, sold for a record $167,500.

The novice collector should not be put off, however, by the high prices commanded by some works. There are a wealth of opportunities for novice collectors to purchase works by acknowledged masters and new talent for a relatively low initial investment.

It's important to realize that the market for photography is still fluid and subject to the vagaries of trends and fashion. Older artists are still being rediscovered while others are undergoing reassessment. For the novice collector, I advise caution when considering an artist who peaked in the last three decades. One example of an artist who may have peaked early is Robert Mapplethorpe. After enjoying a certain notoriety in the late 1980s and early 1990s for his graphic images, interest in Mapplethorpe's work seems to be declining. Of course, it's always difficult to judge the staying power of an artist who's enjoying a current vogue. But with a reproducible, mutable medium like photography, there's the added danger with living artists that they'll fall victim to "Salvador Dali disease" (so-called because of the famous surrealist's unfortunate decision to spend the last years of his life flooding the market with signed prints).

The bottom line is that the market likes older artists whose canon is complete and whose stature has stood the test of time. This is not intended to discount the significance of newer artists-both established names and new artists whose work already commands hefty prices in galleries around the world. But for the novice collector, reading the tea leaves and knowing how history will judge these artists is more difficult than collecting the blue chips of the photography world.

Where to Start

Chances are you've already started collecting photographs, even if they're pages torn from a magazine, a poster of a famous image or photography books. The leap to collecting begins when you're ready to go beyond the image to the work itself. The collector of photography is concerned with three-dimensional works of art.

Painting, by its nature, creates one-of-a-kind works-you're either lucky enough to own the original (if it's not already in a museum) or you have to settle for a print. Photography offers few originals (daguerreotypes being a notable exception) but nearly every photograph is available to own-for a price.

Like all fields of collecting, the cardinal rule is to collect what you love. But I strongly recommend doing your research, following the auctions and standing on the sidelines a while before jumping into the fray. Many collectors begin with a desire to own a famous work that they've long known and cherished. These iconic images-such as Weegee's The Critic or Diane Arbus's haunting portrait, Identical Twins, Roselle, N.J. -- are hotly pursued by collectors. How to spot an iconic image? One rule of thumb would be if it's widely available as a poster, it's probably an icon.

Personally, I don't recommend starting out with a wish list of the 100 most famous photographs. For one, you'll pay an extraordinary premium to obtain these icons. But more importantly, the familiarity of the images makes it more likely that you'll grow tired of them in short order.

I suggest going beyond the icons and looking at the entire oeuvre of great photographers. Owning any work by one of the greats, such as Robert Frank or Edward Weston, has its inherent pleasures--even if your treasure may not be recognized at first glance by a visitor.

And, of course, there are thousands of photographers working today whose work is available at entry-level prices. Collecting the work of a budding artist is not only a great way to get in on the ground floor before values take off, it's also a fine investment in the medium itself.

Another avenue for the novice collector is to start with photography books. Monographs have established their own value, especially those printed in fine or limited editions and signed by the artist.

Finally, the collector's market today encompasses areas of photography that were overlooked until very recently. Travel, fashion, industrial, advertising, news, stock photography - name an area of photography and you'll probably find somebody collecting it. While the best examples of work in any genre exhibit a high level of technical and artistic skill, the anonymity of most works in these fields limits generally their value. (One notable exception is photographs of celebrities which have a value all their own, though not necessarily as fine art photography, and are generally treated as memorabilia by Bonhams & Butterfields.)

Assessing Value

You come across two signed prints for sale. Both are advertised in excellent condition. Both are the same size. As you look at the images on the Internet, you can't understand why one is priced at $350 and the other is $3,500. If you feel compelled to grab the cheaper print before someone else does, I urge you to wait. There's a good reason that seemingly identical photographs by the same artist fetch wildly divergent prices:

In a moment, I'll discuss familiar factors that affect price-condition, size, rarity-but first it's vital to understand the fundamental principle that underpins the photography market. Because photography by its nature is a medium of multiples, a hierarchy has evolved for ranking the value of a print. In a nutshell, the closer the print is to the author's hand in time and space, the greater its value.

Thus, if you have the good fortune to be offered an Edward Weston photograph taken in 1924, the first thing you should do is determine when the print was made. If it was printed and signed by Edward Weston within approximately five years of the original negative, it's known as a "vintage print". In most cases, vintage prints have a market value far greater than prints made later, even if the later print was signed by the artist and is, to all appearances, an exact duplicate.

So all images may be created equal, but some images are more equal than others. The logic behind this system is as much philosophical as it is practical. A vintage print corresponds closely to our concept of originality-it has an intrinsic value because of its proximity to the original event. The closer to the event, collectors believe, the more likely a print was made in accordance with the artist's original vision. Conversely, the further away from the event, the more likely the print was made for commercial reasons, which diminishes its value to collectors.

An example illustrates why this system helps clarify the fine photography market for beginners and experts alike. Moonrise Over Hernandes, N.M. is one of Ansel Adams' best known images. With over 10,000 prints of this photograph in circulation, it can't be said to be rare. Still, examples in excellent condition sell today for between $1,000 and $20,000.

Why should one print be worth more than another? Because the market has decided that a vintage print commands a high premium. And don't assume that later prints are worth nearly as much. You may come across unscrupulous dealers selling Moonrise Over Hernandes, N.M. for $7,000 and think you've stumbled upon a bargain. However, the value of non-vintage prints drops precipitously, with a print made by the artist late in life or by the estate worth only a small fraction of a vintage print. If a vintage print is worth $25,000, a later print signed by the artist in pristine condition may be worth only a few hundred dollars. If you can't afford a vintage print and you're determined to own this work, I recommend saving your money and buying a good-quality poster instead.

In addition to assessing a photograph by the above criteria, make sure you also evaluate for the following:

Care and Conservation

Photography is capable of freezing a moment in time, and we have come to rely heavily on the medium as a permanent record. So it is especially ironic that the medium itself is not immune to the ravages of time. Black and white photographs, if produced with high-quality materials and properly conserved, are rated to last 200 years or more. But the medium is still young enough that these limits have not yet been tested.

Color photography provides a better cautionary tale for the collector. Few examples of early color photography are extant today because of the tendency for colors to fade over time. The collector should be especially wary of color photographs for this reason. Recent advances in color processing have brought us closer to archival quality color prints, but only time will tell if the technology can approach black and white photography's proven longevity.

You can help maximize a photograph's lifespan by taking simple steps to protect your investment:

• Mount your photographs on archival materials (100% acid-free, rag non-buffered board, by reputable manufacturers)
• Never display your photography in direct sunlight or under fluorescent lighting
• Protect the photographs from insects and other pests with glass or plexiglass
• Use only glass or plexiglass with a UV-protective coating
• Store your photographs in archival-quality folders or boxes
• Never tape anything to the photographic image

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