About Photographs of Old America

Before Restoration After Restoration

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PHOTOS?

      Since starting up in 1979, this has been the most frequently asked question.  We got started when a friend's dad  suggested we make copy negatives and then photographic prints of some of his wonderful collection of San Francisco bay area historical photographs, and make the photographic reproductions available to the public.  To this day, we still obtain original photos from private collections.  Other sources include libraries (local history departments), which, from the beginning, have been very generous in allowing us to copy photographs--sometimes with a professional copy stand, and lately with a high end scanner. Until recently, historical societies have for some reason been much less generous, even though we always offer to pay them . Other sources include antique stores, archives, junk stores, garage sales, thrift shops, flea markets,etc.  People often assume we get the images from books, but we never do. Aside from copyright issues, book photos are usually printed using half tone dots, which would reproduce poorly.

HOW ARE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS PRODUCED?

    The first task is to find an original photo that is historically interesting and also has aesthetic merit.  We go through hundreds of photos to find one that qualifies. Then we begin the restoration process. Until a few years ago, we'd  make a negative copy of an original photo using a professional copy stand, outfitted with a high end 4x5 camera and a high end lens (i.e Nikkor or Schneider Companon S flat field enlarging lens).  If the original was a negative, glass or otherwise, the process was different---contact us if you're interested in details. Once we had the 4x5 negative, we'd go into the darkroom and print a master copy on fiber based paper, in black and white. We'd then begin the painstaking process of restoring and repairing the master print, which would reflect the flaws of the original (scratches, faded areas, spots, etc.).  This process utilized very fine camel hair brushes and special spotting agents. Once that step was completed, we'd re-photograph the restored master print, once again using the copy stand, to obtain a 4x5 master negative, which we'd then use to produce our prints, using standard darkroom techniques (enlarger,dodging, burning, masks, etc.). Photos were printed on poly-contrast paper.  We'd typically use Kodak fiber based polycontrast, utilizing the filters. Photos were printed in black and white, double fixed, and then sepia toned, unless the customer preferred black and white.  This yielded the most stable image in photography; images printed this way will typically last over 150 years.

   For the last few years, we've been using digital techniques. Purists cringe, but the reality is that we have much better control of the printing process using digital techniques, and the resulting final images are superior. Original photos are scanned using a high end professional scanner (we usually use an Epson Expression 1000XL).   For original negatives, we prefer the Imacon scanner. Once we have the (large) digital file, we restore and repair the image using the latest version of Photoshop.  Photos are printed using a high end professional printer (at present, usually an Epson 7900 or 9900, with 11 colors of archival UltraChrome K3 inks) and we use various archival papers ---call us for more details if interested. Experts estimate that the photographs will not fade for at least 150 years.

YOUR PHOTOS ARE COPYRIGHTED.  HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE, SINCE MOST OF THE ORIGINAL IMAGES ARE IN "PUBLIC DOMAIN"?

    All of our photos require restoration, and some require extensive repairs.  Our lawyers inform us that once we repair, restore, or sepia tone an image, we may copyright our photos to discourage theft.  Some images are not in public domain, and we pay for the rights to use those.

WHAT IS YOUR RETURN POLICY?

  Since we started, customer satisfaction has been and continues to be our highest priority!  We treat customers as we  would like to be treated. If there is ANY problem, contact us and we'll try to do whatever it takes to make it right. If a photo arrives damaged, we'll replace it and pay for return shipping.  If you don't like the photo, return it to us, and if it's in the condition we sent it, we'll immediately issue a refund.

YOUR PHOTOS ARE EXTREMELY HIGH QUALITY.  WHY ARE THEY (OFTEN MUCH) LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THOSE OF THE COMPETITION?

   We are a very small business. Although we sometimes contract with people to help out at busy times and before important art shows, Gail and Eric do almost all of the work (especially Gail!).  Having no employees or shareholders allows us to keep our costs down, and our quality very high. The photos in every order are custom printed. Keeping the price low allows more people to own our photos. 

ARE YOUR PHOTOS AVAILABLE IN WHOLESALE QUANTITIES?

   Yes.  Contact us for details.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments or suggestions.

Email:

Telephone: (530) 265-0850 in Nevada City, California, USA

Telephone Hours:

10:00 am to 5:00 pm in San Francisco (Pacific time)
1:00 pm to 8:00 pm in New York (Eastern time)