Postcards & Paper Ephemera

Vintage Photographs: What to Record

Historic and vernacular photographs, cartes de visite, cabinet cards, stereoviews and albums (art photography is under Fine art).

The Data Sheet for Vintage Photographs

The 25 fields worth recording for vintage photographs, grouped as in the ordicio app. Fields marked with a broader category come from it; the others are specific to vintage photographs.

Identification

Title Text Postcards & paper ephemera: The title or name the object is known by, as given by its maker, publisher or catalogue.
Subject Text Postcards & paper ephemera: What the object depicts or is about.
Date / period Text Postcards & paper ephemera: When the object was made, as precise as known, e.g. 1876, c. 1890, 1920s, 2nd century AD.
Country Text Postcards & paper ephemera: Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).
Reference link Link Postcards & paper ephemera: Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).
Photo format Choice, or your own: Format or process of the vintage photograph.
11 choices
Daguerreotype
Ambrotype
Tintype
Carte de visite
Cabinet card
Stereoview
Real photo postcard
Snapshot
Press photo
Glass negative / slide
Album
Photographer / studio Text: Photographer or studio with place, as stamped or printed.
People / subject shown Text: Who or what is shown, identified as far as possible.

Physical

Height (cm) Number Postcards & paper ephemera: Height, measured upright as the object is meant to stand or hang.
Width (cm) Number Postcards & paper ephemera: Width, measured from the front.
Materials Text Postcards & paper ephemera: Materials the object is made of, main material first.

Condition

Condition Choice Postcards & paper ephemera: Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.
Mint / as new
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Condition notes Text Postcards & paper ephemera: Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text Postcards & paper ephemera: Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date Postcards & paper ephemera: Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own Postcards & paper ephemera: How the object came into the collection.
Purchase
Auction
Gift
Inheritance
Exchange / trade
Self-collected / found
Commission
Acquired from Text Postcards & paper ephemera: Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount Postcards & paper ephemera: Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text Postcards & paper ephemera: Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount Postcards & paper ephemera: Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date Postcards & paper ephemera: Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice Postcards & paper ephemera: What the estimated value is based on.
Own estimate
Recent sales / auction results
Dealer offer
Catalogue value
Professional appraisal
Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount Postcards & paper ephemera: Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text Postcards & paper ephemera: Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text Postcards & paper ephemera: Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.