Skip to the content

What is a vintage print?

Photography · Revised 3 August 2026

VALÉORINE editorial artwork: graduated tonal bands passing from black to luminous ivory

A vintage print is one made by or under the direct supervision of the photographer at or close to the time the negative was exposed. Later prints from the same negative are catalogued as such, and the distinction has a substantial effect on value.

Share

If this answer does not address your circumstances, write to us. Enquiries are reviewed individually and answered in writing.

Related questions

Related guides

VALÉORINE editorial artwork: graduated tonal bands passing from black to luminous ivory

4 min read

Collecting Early Photography

Nineteenth-century photography is collected as much for process as for image. This guide sets out the principal early processes, how to recognise them, and what condition means for each.

Read the guide

VALÉORINE editorial artwork: ivory planes suspended at differing depths in a dark curatorial space

3 min read

Collecting Fine Art Photography

Modern and contemporary photography raises questions of edition, printing history and attribution that do not arise elsewhere. This guide explains what to establish before buying a twentieth-century print.

Read the guide