In the 1800s, popular American magazines such as Harper's Weekly and Leslie's Illustrated had their pictures printed from original hand etched printing blocks. This was before modern 20th century reproduction technology, so all the prints in publications were made 'by hand,' the same way an original Picasso or Rembrandt was made. One of the artists/printmakers … Continue reading A way to get inexpensive original works of art by a famous artist

Pictured is an extremely rare mid-1800s photograph on a swatch of cloth.  It is similar to the commonly found tintype (on iron) and ambrotype (on glass), but on cloth.  In the nineteenth century, photographs could technically be made on cloth and wood, but examples are rarely seen today.

George Grantham Bain was a famed American news photographer based in New York City.   He first worked for United Press before starting his own photo service, named Bain News Service.  Bain's original photos are usually small, postcard or snapshot size, and  easily identified by his name or 'Bain New Service' rubber stamped on back, often … Continue reading Early 1900s Portraits by George Grantham Bain