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Collecting Photographs

Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most photographed women of all time, so there is an abundance of vintage photographs ready to be snapped up by eager collectors. The film studios would issue movie stills and promotional photographs to advertise their latest theatrical releases. Movie stills, often 8x10, are just that—freeze frames of a scene in a movie. The studio would also order separate publicity stills, sometimes in full costume, sometimes in modern clothes. It was often these photos that would be colourized (usually rather crudely!) for fan magazines. Photos taken by press photographers and the paparazzi can also be found. Originals of any of these types of photographs, used by newspapers and fan magazines, often contain a caption on the back, as well as notes in pencil by the newspaper or the magazine who published the photos in their publications.

Buying original photographs can be difficult. They are often difficult to locate, and much more expensive than copies—which can be found online rather easily and inexpensively. But collectors even have to be aware of copies. With the improvement in home photo printers, don’t be duped by sellers who just print an image from their own computers! A good copy should be made from an original negative.

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