Collecting old negatives from unknown photographers

Europan · Nov 23, 2017

I have some undeveloped stuff still in cans, Kodak 7231 from 1968. Developed a few hundred feet of it and found it perfectly exposed. Of course no idea who the people are that were shot then. Should finish this with a print and have it screened at the municipal cinema in town as kind of supporting programme. A title could invite spectators to observe and tell others.

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Jan 4, 2018

Yea, I kind of enjoy looking for undeveloped film in cameras too, though I've only found eight rolls in total, and I've only got images back from half of them, and it's been nothing particularly exciting, though I heard someone found some previously unknown Mt. Saint Helens eruption pictures last year. I've also been told by a film developer that he'd seen some weird pictures others had found in cameras too.

I have no idea what I'll do with these images.

films found are:
Advantix 200
Kodacolor 110
Advantix 400
some kind of fujifilm 200

I also bought an exposed c-22 roll off ebay- but it may well be a year before I get to see if there was even anything on it.

Farrarj86 · Jan 18, 2018

studiocarter said:
How about printing up a bunch of them and having a show?
A local historical society may be a place to connect with. My area even has a camera club!

I'm getting ready to start that kind of project. My father picked up a box of 400 or so 4x5 negatives at an estate sale that range from about 1910 to the 40s. I just found out my local camera shop has a 4x5 enlarger I can rent time for. Quite excited to bring so much history to life!

Sarath · Jan 21, 2018

mjfinalshot said:
old negatives for sale

Hi,<BR><BR>If anyone is interested, I have thousands of 1950's and 1960's original color and black and white 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" negatives.  Images taken by contributing photographer to Life Magazine.

Do you still have those with you?

winger · Jan 21, 2018

I don't know how I didn't see this thread before. I don't collect negatives, but I have ended up with a number from my family. My great-grandfather loved photography and his wife had a camera as well. I have a group of negatives (some shared elsewhere on Photrio) that were in an envelope labeled "1912" and they're likely from their honeymoon in Europe. I also have shots of my grandmother and her sisters as little girls.

One of my few money-making projects in photography was to make contact prints of glass negs someone near here had bought on Craigslist. He wanted to sell silver gelatin prints because hadn't gotten good scans from them. He had collected ones mostly from the western PA area. Some were originally taken for the electric or phone company and showed their brand new poles in place. Yes, with 4x5 glass negs. He told me I could keep extra prints and I did keep a few of the cooler shots, but I'm wishing I'd kept more. A couple he had were huge - I needed 16x20 paper.

Bob Carnie · Jan 21, 2018

One of my friends, collected and still collects vintage negatives on EBay... She purchased a set of negatives over a 8 month period , she showed them to me and asked me what I thought, I thought they were interesting
but told here I was not so sure of the value, as time went on she asked me and my partner to lend her money to purchase a very large collection of this particular Photographers work, we did not have the money she wanted
and frankly did not think it was a wise investment...She ended up with 40 negative before the images were pulled from Ebay.
Can anyone guess who the photographer was??

MattKing · Jan 21, 2018

Bob Carnie said:
Can anyone guess who the photographer was??

I'm guessing her first name was Vivian.

Bob Carnie · Jan 22, 2018

Yes - not only was I privy to this event, but years later I was able to print 43 negatives from the Goldstein-Bulger collection. I also have scanned all of the said Ebay images for my friend, to date I do not think she has
released any prints to the marketplace, I am sure when they are the photo world will take notice, Her selection was IMO the first picks of Vivians work. Some of these negatives were in very rough shape, unlike the ones I printed which were
in very good shape.

Bob Carnie · Jan 22, 2018

To this point if I had investors or financial angels surrounding me , I would dedicate the rest of my life to finding these types of collections that are indeed sitting in unsafe locations or being ignored and bring them to the world.

The money spent on some of the colleges pumping out young students not ready for the photo world, IMO should be redirected to archiving our history and putting the said students to work learning the ins and outs of printing. I just visited the AGO to see a current show of 1850-1910 prints that absolutely blew me away.. I was stunned to see the Japanese Albumen Hand Coloured prints. They were stunning.

macfred · Jan 22, 2018

Some psychedelic stuff (Kodak branded 120 color film - 30+ years old) -
on the 2nd pic you will notice there was a backing paper issue in the older days …

untitled by Andreas, on Flickr

KJovanov · Mar 13, 2018

Hello, I'm new to this forum. I'm trying to sell some old films and photo plates. They're from the 1910s to late 60s. I have them by the kilos.
My grandfather and his father before were photographers and i have almost all of their archive, and also all the machinery and all the old cameras. Any interested buyers contact me on jovanov_kosta@yahoo.com

dutchsteammachine · Mar 13, 2018

I like to collect photos, moving pictures and audio recordings made by people of NASA Apollo broadcasts. The photos are usually in the form of slides or polaroids. Audio recordings are usually on 1/4 inch reel to reel audio tapes. Moving pictures usually 8mm with the camera just pointed at the TV screen.

I got a huge lot of audio recordings I still need to process and I am expecting some batches of 35mm slides soon of Apollo 15 and 11. I got a 8mm recording of Apollo 11 but have not yet got it scanned, will soon.

Here you can find the things I have been collecting:
https://archive.org/details/thirdpartyaudiotapes
https://archive.org/details/thirdpartyspacephotos

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Apr 21, 2018

there probably should be a group dedicated to this.

ransel · Jun 25, 2018

I have been collecting old photographs for some time now - everything from daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, wet-plate negs, dry-plate negs, prints from the late 1800's all the way up to stacks of pictures at flee markets and antique stores. And I seek out unprocessed rolls of film when ever I can.
Several years ago an elderly lady friend, her husband had recently passed (he was a retired photographer) and she wanted me to help dispose (ebay) of his camera gear. As we were going thru his darkroom, I came across a small filing cabinet full of mostly 4X5 negatives. I asked her about them - she said take them. As it turned out, when they had purchased the home in the early 90's, the previous owner was also a retired professional photographer, and these were negatives he had left in the home. Hundreds of 4X5 B&W negs from the 40's thru the 70's, weddings, family gatherings, just about anything happening in our little town for 40 years. As I was examining all the negs individually with a loupe, I came across a few of a local boy-scout troop, and immediately could recognize one of the 12 year old boys as my closest friend, Doug. I could recognize him in negative format, as a child, even though I didn't meet him until he was in his early 50's.
Anyway, I scanned a lot of the negs and made him some prints. He just recently passed away.

My old pall Doug - far right with the yellow arrow - boy scout trip.

slackercrurster · Jun 25, 2018

Tons of negs, slides RPPC, and prints. Many thousands collected over the years.

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Dec 17, 2018

It's more likely I'll get something psychedelic with a previously exposed roll vs an expired roll I shoot myself.

Agfa CT 100I 35mm
Kodacolor II 126

JamesJSchreckengost · Jul 29, 2019

Hello all. I'm not a photographer but I do have 3 or 4 big boxes of negatives that appear to be the life work of a single photographer from the1950s and 1960s. All pictures seem to be located around the San Francisco Bay Area and mostly Contra Costa County. Even some of the SF Giants. VERY interesting. Also a ton of slides. I would like to sell them all.

dutchsteammachine · Jul 30, 2019

Colourized scans of glass negatives, early 1900, British isles.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 30, 2019

dutchsteammachine said:
Colourized scans of glass negatives...

How is the colorization performed? In the photo of a parade where flags are suspended above the street, I notice the Union Jack is still B&W. Another small flag has a red marking - how is it known to apply red?

I ask from curiosity only. I know I'm a minority for my dislike of colorized copies of B&W originals.

dutchsteammachine · Jul 31, 2019

Theo Sulphate said:
How is the colorization performed? In the photo of a parade where flags are suspended above the street, I notice the Union Jack is still B&W. Another small flag has a red marking - how is it known to apply red?

I ask from curiosity only. I know I'm a minority for my dislike of colorized copies of B&W originals.

They were made with an automated deep-learning program that uses thousands of photos as a reference.

It does an okay job most of the time, a few really good ones.

Can't complain because it's free.
I'm already happy it's able to seperate skin from clothing(mostly) so things don't get creepy.

Helios 1984 · Oct 18, 2019

Today, I visited the usual flea market and purchased 5 slides for the 50/60s. My first time purchasing slides, I feel It could easily evolve into a small obsession loll

ic-racer · Oct 18, 2019

I try to make good looking negatives so the people collecting my old negatives will have something nice to print.

Anon Ymous · Oct 19, 2019

Helios 1984 said:
Today, I visited the usual flea market and purchased 5 slides for the 50/60s. My first time purchasing slides, I feel It could easily evolve into a small obsession loll

Easily.
Soon you will be searching eBay for a gem...

Helios 1984 · Oct 20, 2019

Anon Ymous said:
Easily.
Soon you will be searching eBay for a gem...

I found an entire family archive with at least 300 slides. Half 110 and half 35mm, mostly pictures of safaris in Africa and equestrian shows. There’s elephants, giraffes, lions, impalas, wild hogs etc Heck, even pictures of the now extinct West African Black Rhinoceros. Maybe 25-30% keepers? They’re asking 17$ but I feel I’d be falling for the puppy syndrome.

alanrockwood · Oct 20, 2019

CGW said:
I've been collecting 40s-60s mug shots for a dysfunctional family tree project.

Just curious. Is the project disfunctional, or is it the family that is disfunctional?

Collecting old negatives from unknown photographers

Europan

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Farrarj86

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KJovanov

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slackercrurster

TheGreatGasMaskMan

JamesJSchreckengost

dutchsteammachine

Theo Sulphate

dutchsteammachine

Helios 1984

ic-racer

Anon Ymous

Helios 1984

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Collecting old negatives from unknown photographers

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