Dating Window Matts

[thefizz]

No I don't mean taking them out for a drink

Is it a must to date your window matt (as I think most people do), and if so do you find it off putting to the potential customer if you have prints left over from a previous year which are still on sale. What I mean is do you think customers will feel that "oh that photo must be crap as its a year or two old and he/she still hasn't sold it" etc.

I am currently preparing mounted/matted prints for a craft fair in September and as I have no idea if they will sell, I am worried that in a few months later, in 2008, they seem dated, old. I could change the window matt but as they are not cheap, it doesn't seem like a great option.

Peter

 

[ann]

i don't, but then i don't give them names either.
I have rarely seen photos with a date.
I wouldn't date them and i wouldn't worry about when they were taken or when printed.
are these dry mounted, or hinged. If hinged, it is common to put the date and edition number along with the signature of the artist on the back of the photo. This is usually done to assist the photography with keeping track of their work.

 

[Lopaka]

Contrary to some art school instructors, a date on the front is not required. If you choose to put a date on the mat, it should be the year only, and reflect the year in which the photo was taken, not when the print was made. People who know something about art will understand this. A lot of folks who go to art fairs may not.

Bob

 

[thefizz]

Thank you both. I have been writing the year on the matts and would be interested to know if many photographers do this or not?

Peter