Inside the Wide World of Type 1 Photographs
Type 1 photographs – which represent high watermarks of cultural life, pivotal historical events, defining achievements in sports and entertainment, and celebrity images that transcend the moment – have become among the most coveted collectibles in recent years, as desired as any Ansel ... Type 1 photographs – which represent high watermarks of cultural life, pivotal historical events, defining achievements in sports and entertainment, and celebrity images that transcend the moment – have become among the most coveted collectibles in recent years, as desired as any Ansel Adams landscape of the American West, Dorothea Lange Depression-era portrait or Annie Leibovitz celebrity session.Type 1 photographs, as classified by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), represent the highest standard of value because they are printed directly from the camera negative at the time the negative was produced, within approximately two years.It became necessary later in their careers for established photographers to print in a fixed or open edition from their camera negative to sell commercially. This is a finite exception to the rule that only Type 1 prints are the exemplar in photographic terms.Additionally, there’s the ideal patina of 1930s gelatin silver in the mid-tones, as time has added warmth and presence. Then there is the Polaroid or small color photograph that came into wide amateur use after 1960, most often unique as a print and as a historical document, date-stamped, and unlike Kodachrome film, which suffers from color shift to magenta, remains bright with consistent colors and is elusive as a feather circling in an updraft.
