Brothers (Opinions Please)

[pagannz]

Hi there

Can I get your opinions on this photo please, translates to

Kronstadt, 18.4.1941

In memory of your beloved sons Kurt and Eduard.

I like the photo but have been informed the writing could be faked, actually the photo could be a fake for all I know

[tempelhof]

no doubt you will receive other opinions and we will see these as they come in. analyzing photos from scans can be fraught with risk. far better to have them in hand.
i would like to know the dimensions of the photo and ask if in that scan we are seeing the actual edge of the photographic paper.
however, personally, i do not like the contrast nor do i like the defects at the corners of the image. it appears, to my eye, to be questionable. if i am seeing this correctly and am seeing the edges of the photograph in the scan, the image appears to be closer to the margins of the photographic paper in some areas than it is in others. this would not be something you would like to see.
the resolution of the image itself seems lacking. this could come from scanning i suppose, the the stains and pen markings on the photograph's reverse seem sharper than some areas of the photograph itself. so i tend to think that if i had the actual photograph in hand i would notice a certain lack of detail.
for these reasons this photograph would not find a place in my collection.



the highlighted artifacts in the image field can be a red flag as well.

[tempelhof]

by the way, if you have a UV light, you might want to pass it over this and see if it's reactive.

i use them all the time and they're about the best investment you can make. i occasionally buy dutch old master portraits and something as simple as this can literally save you an arm and a leg.

[pagannz]

Thanks tempelhof much appreciated.
The scanning didn't actually come out to well, I will check out the sides tonight when I get home and track down a UV light

[tempelhof]

it is not proof that a paper was manufactured pre-1950 if it does not fluoresce, but if it does, it's modern (post WW2).

[pagannz]

Thanks I have just ordered a UV Light. If it is dodgey then I will contact the seller and see what can be done. They advertise as "authentic military photographs and documents.." so hopefully...????

Thanks for your help Tempelhof much appreciated

[tempelhof]

no problem.
i myself would like to see other opinions besides my own. you should wait for that while you wait for the UV light.
let's see what the consensus is.

[Bill T]

Hi Mel,
Like Templehof, I think this is one that would be better to see in hand to form an accurate opinion.
BUT..... I personally would pass on this one. I also have the same concerns as Templehof about the disrupted edges of the image itself. The left hand side of the image is especially something that would make me a bit skeptical.

In this case, the white border is part of the photo paper. With period portraits, it would be okay to see the white border crooked or not aligned properly. This can be seen on alot of period photos.
However, in this photo the image itself looks disrupted, not the paper/border. I must admit tho, the reverse of the photo paper looks pretty convincing!

[tempelhof]

same here. the back looks legit. i just can't get past some of the anomalies on the front. my only concern is that some of these issues may have come from the process of scanning the photo. however, not all of them. all told however, it's enough to keep me away and look for something i feel more confident adding to a collection.

i don't take a lot of comfort in the back looking OK. i mean with respect to writing... i just have no way of knowing for sure when writing could have been added and whether it could have been added to deceive or not. i just don't know. it would have been nice to see the kinds of trademarks present we look for in period paper, but alas... no such luck.

not having it in hand, i think a logical step (whether it will shed any additional light or not in this case is anyone's guess) is that the owner of this photo acquires a UV light just to see what happens. owning one, as a collector of these things, is a much anyway.

[tempelhof]

hmmmm. sorry about the mediocre pun.