and before the advent of the internet, did people who were learning to print see many of those amazing prints by the "masters" as part of their learning?
Or were they reading books about it with very average to poor reproductions and seeing the occasional well-made print at their local camera club?
By "they" I mean the 10s or 100s of thousands of ordinary Joes and Janes knocking out a few 5x7s in their bathroom in the evenings, not the small handfuls of really gifted amateurs and professionals.
The reason I ask is because I think there is a persistent myth of a "golden age before the internet" in which everyone was a competent photographer and everyone aspired to be a master printer, whereas the fact is that information has never been so easily available for assisting learning as it is now, and photography is more accessible to more people than it ever was.
The fact that you might see more dross now is simply because it's not buried in albums and shoeboxes.
I've learned an incalculable amount about photochemistry from Gerald and PE amongst others. 20 years ago I'd never have known of their existence, let alone be able to ask them questions.
It really is time to move on. And I say this as someone who grew up, well into his early-mid years, through the "pre digital" age.
NOTE Apologies to the OP for assisting in the wildly off-at-a-tangent derail of the thread.
