Photos, period originals, fakes, repros or what ?

[Robert Noss]

Updated now and online again !!

A question that is very often asked to me is:

"How do I know if a photo is period or not ?"

So I did a little lesson about this subject on my website.
Not to be finally complete of course, but I hope everybody can learn a bit.

That's the link:

http://www.kriegsberichter.de/Data/fake01e.htm

And if there are some mistakes with my english, please contact me per email, so that I can change that.

Kind regards
Robert

[Greg]

Robert,

Very informative; thanks for putting this together.

Best,
Greg

[grovb]

thanks for the useful information. Also if a photo is not water marked it can still be pre 1945 correct?
thanks for info,
Brandyn

[Larrister]

Hello Robert

Nicely put together site with lots of good information.

Cheers
Larry

[hadrian_bruer]

photo fakes

hi robert

many thanks for compiling site - excellent reference work re. period photos - will be very useful for my next purchases - just checked out my "maybes" according to your ref. they are looking good!

regards -- Hadrian

[aterrasse]

Very useful and informative for those (like me!) who do not know much about the subject.

Thanks again

Alex

[OdeSSa1976]

Well done .
Very interesting .
regards.

[Dick Pumphrey]

Hi Robert,
Thank you for some great information. Good job!
Regards,
Dick

[milcollector]

how we get a UV light tester ?

what do we ask for in the shops ?

Thanks

[Tim DC]

Many shops have them, you could ask for a blacklight or a UV light, which is also used to test banknotes. You can get small ones for under 10$.

[racheleh]

You can get them at philately shops (for stamp and money collecters supplies and exchange places) or at large officesupply stores.
Mine was 16 euros, a middle price.
The cheapest was 9 euro, and you have them from 27+ also, but the cheaper ones are good enough.

[Paul D. Bloom]

I recently picked up an album of WWII photos of a German General (Field Marshal?) and his staff, in Antwerp, ca. 1940/41. The album includes two studio photos - one of the general and one of what I take to have been his second in command. In addition there are numerous photos of the ch******226;teau where they were staying, both inside and out, something like 17 pictures of the staff, (mostly posed, but including several informal shots) etc. etc.

None of the above show the markings you describe. Rather, they are all embossed RHEIN, all in caps, Rhein in script, or with a triangle enclosing a letter "G" that has some undecipherable word in the crossbar of the G.

All of the photographs appear to have been taken by a very talented professional. Indeed, I find some equal in quality to the work of an Ansel Adams.

I guess my question is, do the markings I describe preclude the photos being period originals?

Thank you for your kind attention.

[Robert Noss]

None of the above show the markings you describe. Rather, they are all embossed RHEIN, all in caps, Rhein in script, or with a triangle enclosing a letter "G" that has some undecipherable word in the crossbar of the G.

All of the photographs appear to have been taken by a very talented professional. Indeed, I find some equal in quality to the work of an Ansel Adams.

I guess my question is, do the markings I describe preclude the photos being period originals?

Thank you for your kind attention.

Hello Paul,

the marking RHEIN is unknown to me. Very likely it is from a local photographer at the Antwerpen area. But without seeing a picture of the marking, I can not tell wether they are period or not.
And that's not the only point to decide if period or not. The whole look and feel of Your album and the photos inside is important.
Maybe You can post some pictures, but not in this thread, open a new one.

Kind regards
Robert

[Koenigstiger]

Hi Robert,
i know this site before...for me as an Pic-Collecter its a very helping-site!!
Best regards!!

F-16

[Martin W]

Hi Robert,nice article,very informative.I'm an "old school"photogapher and i still mainly work in Black & white.I have a great darkroom and i can print up to 5x7 inch neg's.
I like to make prints from old neg's and i still use Agfa of Ilford fiber-based papers.
They are a lot different from the papers i used in the 70's and probably a lot different from the wartime papers but you can still get great prints.
Regards,Martin.