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What do you sign on your mats?

engelfoto

Member
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Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
28
Location
Boston, MA,
Format
Medium Format
For me, normally:

"Title of print" My signature

However I'm wondering if I should indicate if it's "open edition" or literally "1/x", with x indicating there is no set number.

It's not limited edition, in other words. These are affordable framed prints.
 
Signature in a sharp #3 lead pencil, lightly written...on the mat directly below the lower right hand corner of the print.

Rest of the info on the back of the print if not dry-mounted, and on the back of the mat for both dry-mounted and non-dry mounted prints.

I also sign the back of a non-dry mounted print in case the print becomes seperated someday from the original mat.
 
Vaughn said:
I also sign the back of a non-dry mounted print in case the print becomes seperated someday from the original mat.
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Just make sure you sign on an edge margin or the signature shows up nicely in relief on the other side.

I usually use a fine point pen for this, you can use very little pressure that way.
 
I just write "Kodak" since I just pressed the button and Kodak did all the work!
 
I find signing my prints with the last name Weston usually brings a higher price
 
rhphoto said:
Just make sure you sign on an edge margin or the signature shows up nicely in relief on the other side.

I usually use a fine point pen for this, you can use very little pressure that way.
Click to expand...

No problem -- I sign it right in the middle of the image, with very little pressure, to be sure. I'd be more worried about the ink and associated chemicals migrating thru the paper.

Vaughn
 
Signed on the overmat below the image to the right. Should be red blood but a pencil lead will work too. Wish I had initials like AA.

Lead pencils are made of graphite: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphite
 
I notice that many people also put the date, usually on the left below the print. Is this the date the photo was taken or the date the print was made?

Mike
 
Sparky said:
why do you need to sign anything?
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Habit, I suppose. Picasso and all those dudes did it, so I figure I might as well. Also a signature is a handy way to tell the difference between a final piece of work and something that is not, and between an original and a copy. Anybody can write your name, but your signature usually represents a degree of authenticity.
 
That was in the 50s though... (is sorta my point). What I'll call the 'major league' artists stopped the practice in the mid-60s since it was thought of as being a bit distasteful. There was also something of the idea that artistic notions were part of the 'zeitgeist' as well - that it was something that (perhaps through Jungian psychological framework) that was part of 'collective consciousness' and therefore it was sort of the end of the idea of the 'artist as creator'... so - in a nutshell - I'm just sayin' - the big boys tend NOT to do it... so - why limit yourself?

There are other ways though - to the best of my knowledge - even many of the greats in photography never signed the front of their prints. They stamped and/or signed the BACKS of the prints... seems to me that would be enough authenticity for anyone's need. Of course - I'm not suggesting anyone follow my opinion - so much as explain that it's not as common or desirable a practice as one might think...
 
I'll have to check out the presence or absence of signatures next time I go to a show of the Big Boys (and Girls).

Maybe it is not so much the collective unconsciousness as it is ego -- "My style is so unique and so reconizable as me, that I don't need my signature on the front!"

Tho I admit that ego has a lot to do with putting one's signature on the front also!

Vaughn
 
an embossing seal is nice, print on oversize paper, Clyde Butcher does this and also Brooks Jensen.
 


Title of Print; Year Shot and Signature. I do not edition any prints. All information is written in pencil on the back of the mount board. All overmats are pristine. I was told many years ago by a photographer I truly respected to never put anything on the overmat. She told me it took away from the presentation of the print. And since I have a large signature I agree.
 
mikeg said:
I notice that many people also put the date, usually on the left below the print. Is this the date the photo was taken or the date the print was made?

Mike
Click to expand...

The date should be the year only and it is when the photo was taken, not when the print was made.

Bob
 
Lopaka said:
The date should be the year only and it is when the photo was taken, not when the print was made.

Bob
Click to expand...

Actually, it's the year printed. You may note that vintage prints are usually priced higher than later prints.
 
You may disagree with me John, and that's fine. But the 'art school' answer is for a date on the front, it's the year in which the photo was taken. The date the print was made can be included in additional info on the back. For limited editions, typically, the later in the edition, the higher the price. What happens to the price of 'vintage' prints long after the photographer is dead may be another matter...

Bob
 
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