Only a photograph that is printed and held by the photographer during his or her lifetime is considered an original. An original photograph is usually signed.
	"vintage" print "Vintage" is a collector's term for the first few photographs printed by the photographer from his or her negative. Generally, it is printed at or near the time of the negative.
	Albumen prints A print on paper prepared from the albumen of eggs. Often a rich brown, these are the most common print of the 19th century.
	Ambrotypes A collodion-negative print on glass, these are often small images. They are similar to a daguerreotype, but usually less clear and never metallic.
	Cabinet cards A medium-sized print (approximately 6" by 4") mounted on a cardboard card. These were inexpensive prints that were used for a number of subjects.
	Cartes-de-visite A small albumen print (approximately 4.5" by 2.5") mounted on a cardboard card. These were often used for inexpensive portraiture.
	Chromagenic prints A color print based on the use of three separate layers of photosensitive material, each recording one of the primary colors of blue, red, and green.
	Collotypes A photomechanical reproduction process used to reproduce mass quantities of photographs.
	Cyanotypes An early printing process utilizing iron salts and distinctive for its bright blue color.
	Daguerreotypes The first publicly-known photographic process, a daguerreotype is a positive image on a silvered metal plate.
	Dye-transfer prints A modern color print process that produces prints through color separation and the later combination of primary colors.
	Framing Use only museum standards - 100% acid-free, rag non-buffered board, by reputable manufacturers. Never allow anything to be taped to the photograph. Use archival standard corners. All surrounding materials must meet these standards. Most wood or metal frames are ok.
	Gelatin silver prints This is the most common of all of the print types. Gelatin is an animal protein, and is applied to the photographic plates. This modern medium has been in use since 1870.
	Handling Most black and white (silver gelatin) photographs produced by serious artists with proper materials have a remarkable stability, rated 200 years+ by conservators.
	Lighting Lighting is an ingredient that can enhance the viewing pleasure of your special photograph. Consider its placement in the room or hall, which can affect glare and reflections. Overhead lights with halogen bulbs are very popular in galleries, museums and homes. There are many innovative approaches.
	limited editions All original photographs can be considered limited editions, since they are produced by hand during an artist's lifetime. Some are numbered on the photograph. Edition sizes are usually less than 100; there are many cases of less than 50.
	Matted Refers to a photograph that is attached to a backboard and has a piece of windowed board cut into the front that allows the photographs to be viewed.
	Open edition It is a term that refers to photographed produced by photographers who do not declare an edition size. Even if a photograph is printed in an open edition, photographers effectively limit their editions through time and their price structure. They only print as the photograph is sold.
	Photogravures A photomechanical reproduction process used to reproduce mass quantities of photographs.
	Platinum prints Similar to silver prints, although platinum has been used in place of the silver.
	Polaroid prints A modern process that produces instant prints from a contained dye pack.
	Salt prints An early printing process using salt (sodium chloride) that was later coated with silver nitrate.
	Tintypes A direct photographic (positive) print on shellac-coated metal.
	Woodbury types A photomechanical reproduction process used to reproduce mass quantities of photographs.