The Three Marks of Real Darkroom Pedigree
If you place a museum-quality print beside a twenty-pound poster that you bought at a concert merchandise stall the differences in how they were made how rare they are and their history can be very noticeable.
It comes down to the printing process, the scarcity of editions and the documentation.
Traditional darkroom prints are created by exposing sensitive photographic paper through a negative and then developing it in chemical baths. In black-and-white silver gelatin prints the picture is made by metallic silver particles that sit inside the paper’s emulsion. When these darkroom prints are processed correctly and kept in conditions they can survive for many generations.
The edition number is also very important. A photographer or archive might cap an edition to twenty-five prints of a size or format. Still there may be editions or formats. Selling out an edition does not automatically mean that the original negative has been sealed away forever.
Each darkroom print can be. Numbered, estate-stamped or come with a Certificate of Authenticity. These features, with provenance and archive records help confirm its authenticity and make it attractive to collectors.
To see darkroom prints visit Iconic Images Gallery at 16 Waterloo Place, in St James’s (SW1Y 4AR) or go to iconicimagesgallery.com.