Written by Elizabeth Stewart, PhD, AAA and John Flandrick
This article was originally published in Worthwhile Magazine™ and has been republished here with the permission of the authors.
A Note from the Co-Editor: As an appraiser, I frequently invite new clients to send me pictures of their items so I can review them in advance and better assist with designing an appraisal scope of work that is most appropriate to their needs. Being able to see photographs emailed to me ahead of time by a client can reduce the client’s total project cost, alert me of the need to consult specialized reference books or outside experts, and help me assess whether the client even needs an appraisal report at all. Photographs are immensely helpful in the overall appraisal process, and as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts the world as we knew it, they are even more important.
There are some objects that are not well-suited for evaluating through photographs. Every appraiser should use her or his own best judgment on a case-by-case basis on what is the most responsible scope of work for the objects to be appraised. The following guide is designed to help an appraiser’s clients take photographs of their items to be appraised that will be most helpful in conveying the specific connoisseurship details an appraiser needs to evaluate an item. It is one thing to say “send me pictures” and quite another thing for a new client to know what we need to see. Our field requires years of training, and it can be very challenging for someone outside of the appraisal, art, and antique industries to even know where to begin when confronted with the task of taking pictures to send to us.
I’d planned to write about this topic myself in the future because it is such a key element in the overall appraisal process, especially now, and I’d hoped to reduce client stress by preparing a systematic guide for them to follow. It was thrilling then to hear from fellow appraiser Elizabeth Stewart, PhD, AAA of Elizabeth Appraisals in California and learn that she beat me to it and has already prepared the following extremely comprehensive guide she wrote for her clients about how to photograph objects.
It’s a pleasure to share her original work here so that it will accessible to assist an even broader audience. The guide is informed by Elizabeth’s many years of work with her full-time photographer John Flandrick of Flandricka House Photography. It reflects his recommendations and insights as a professional photographer and he has also written his own “How To Photograph: A Professional Photographer’s Top Ten Tips For Photographing Objects” to help our readers included here right below Elizabeth’s object guide. Elizabeth wrote a personalized cover letter detailing her updated appraisal options reflecting the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic that she sent to her clients with this guide, and other appraisers may wish to consider writing their own cover letters for their clients.
To add a few notes of my own, I’d like to reassure readers that you don’t need to have a fancy camera to do this. The camera pictured above actually looks a lot like the one I use in my own appraisal firm for photographing client collections but your phone will be fine if that is what you have available. You may find that some of the characteristics listed below aren’t present in the object you are photographing, and that’s totally alright too. The beauty of having a comprehensive list is that it helps you assess what to look for, whether it happens to be there or not. Also, know that we as appraisers are grateful to our clients for helping us by taking pictures that allow us to better serve their needs. Thank you, Elizabeth, for sharing this guide with our readers!
-Sarah Reeder, ISA CAPP, Co-Editor of Worthwhile Magazine™ and Owner of Artifactual History® Appraisal.
VALUE CHARACTERISTICS THAT MATTER TO AN APPRAISER:
WHAT TO NOTICE AND PHOTOGRAPH
1. FINE ART:
A. How to photograph so an expert can see:
The author talking with a client in her temporary home office/dining room during the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home order
Photograph the entire piece with frame
Close up of “sight image” (just the image, not the frame)
Close up of signature and angled shot of signature
Shot of back with any markings
Shot of you measuring the piece
Image size only
Size of entire piece including the frame
B. Characteristics; make notes on:
Artist
Date of creation
Where “shown,” previously exhibited, or owned (provenance)
Condition – front and back
Condition lighting: shine a flashlight to the angle of the side of an oil painting to show the raised brush strokes
Size (from the measuring described above)
Genre (what style) especially if unsigned
Multiple:
If a lithograph, etching, engraving, silkscreen, serigraph, note “fraction” (edition number, for example 37/225)
If a print of any type, including a photo-mechanical reproduction (better known as a poster) note if the work is signed “in the plate” meaning if the reproduction includes the signature, or if it is signed with an original or perhaps double (both in the plate and on the piece by hand) signature.
2. SILVER:
A. How to photograph so an expert can see:
Silver reflects, so shoot with dark background
Shoot close ups of hallmarks or any markings
Shoot around areas where there may have been repairs (spouts, handles)
Shoot any other material (glass, ivory, bone, wood) and how it is attached
Be aware of color changes which may not come out in photos – gold is often applied to silver (vermeil)
B. Characteristics; make notes on:
Hallmark
Note if marked EPNS or “silver soldered;” this is not sterling
Sterling or silverplate? Note the thickness of hollowware. Silverplate is often thicker and heavier than sterling
Age
Style (for example, Nouveau is valuable, Rococo Revival less so)
Famous makers (such as Tiffany) or retailed from a famous shop (for example Liberty or Cartier)
Weight in troy ounces (this is different from regular ounces. If you don’t have a troy ounce scale, measure in ounces but be sure to let the appraiser know so the conversion can be made)
3. GLASS DECORATIVE ITEMS AND TABLEWARE/BARWARE:
A. How to photograph so an expert can see:
Cut glass versus pressed – hard to see in photos. Check sharpness of the “dentils:” the cuts, which are “sharp” in cut glass; use close up feature on camera
Measurements, including diameter
Shoot in great outdoor light
Set closeup of the hallmark (which is often hard to find as they are not always on the bottom)
Blown or machine made? (The three categories are blown, blown in a mold, and machine made.) Shoot a close up of bottom, there, look for these features:
Pontil mark, which is where the glass blower would have attached his blow rod. These are sometimes ground down like an inverted saucer.
Look for a signature; good modern glass is often signed.
Look for a fraction or number. Fraction means a series (edition), a number may mean a style or model number.
B. Characteristics; make notes on:
Sizes
Color (check to see if the colors of the glass seem to be in “layers” (cased glass)
Purpose – what was it used for? Art piece? Tableware?
Age
Maker
Period/date
Originality (Tiffany Favrile or Tiffany reproduction)
Condition; extremely important, but hairline damage is hard to see, especially in photos
Wear: on glass used often at table, you’ll see wear marks, which you should see if the piece is old and not a reproduction
4. PORCELAIN and CERAMICS:
A. How to photograph so an expert can see:
Shoot dimensions including a measuring tape in the image
Condition – porcelain that was used at table will have knife marks, etc. Shoot traces of wear with ‘raking’ light, which is a light source like a flashlight held at an angle while shooting
Repairs – on some old pieces a repair is acceptable and expected (for example Chinese Export porcelain or very old pieces)
Maker – or hallmark – or number – or signature of factory. Shoot also all undersides, and geometrical markings, numbers, (model, edition, series) and dates
Shoot closeup of decoration: hand-painted or hand-decorated design will typically not be “deep under” the clear glaze
Shoot whole set if there’s a set, or shoot a sample and tell the appraiser how many are included in the total set
B. Characteristics; make notes on:
Set, services
Color, glaze
Condition, repairs
“Foot” – is the bottom rim glazed? Do you see kiln marks?
Signature, maker
Style
Age
Shape
Country or culture of origin
Decoration or enameling or painting or gilding (gold, platinum, silver)
5. FURNITURE:
A. How to photograph so an expert can see:
The whole piece front, back, bottom
Special shots of “joins,” dovetails, applied “gingerbread,” backs of drawers where drawer pull holes are evident, hardware, hinges, locks, escutcheons, casters, feet, mullions on glazed doors, bottoms of drawers, one shot where “air” exposure over time has NOT occurred /such as a drawer liner (board between drawer bottom and drawer slot)
Veneering, graining, a side shot of a veneered surface
Crawl underneath and shoot up
Labels, markings, numbers, any pencil marks
Dimensions – shoot yourself measuring
B. Characteristics; make notes on:
Age
Style
Craftsmanship
Maker
Use
Country and culture of origin
Rarity
Added features (a dry bar for example)
Carving, decoration, additional materials (copper embossed straps for example)
Feet – wear and originality
Condition
Type of wood
Refinished?
Provenance
Paint?
Dust board on back, undersides
“Plane” marks, measurement marks, type of glues, hardware, glazing
Functionality
Genre or period
Geographical location
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH:
A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER’S TOP TEN TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING OBJECTS
by John Flandrick of Flandricka House Photography
1. Direct sunlight is not your friend; outdoor daylight in shade lighting is great, diffused light (under a tree) is excellent, or shoot by an open window, or in a garage with the door open
2. Avoid glare on art framed with glass by angling the shot, not straight on, and never shoot art in direct sunlight (bad for art) and bad for shot
3. If client can get a partner to hold a flashlight, shoot oil paintings with raking light: the flashlight held at a 30-degree angle to the painting’s side. And for any photo - when you are tempted to use the phone flash, try another light source first. (Like the flashlight!) You might suggest to your client to pull out a strong flashlight - before you ‘virtually visit’
4. For glass or porcelain, do not use phone flash, use a table lamp with a shade and move it close to the object
5. For furniture, ask the client to shoot when house is lit up (mid-day) but do not shoot pieces in direct bright light
6. Indirect light at noon is best for most objects; ask client when house is the brightest, as this will change as the direction of the sun changes in each season through the year
7. For valuable art, especially oil paintings, shoot outside during the “golden hour” between 4 and 5 pm
8. Tell your clients to shoot everything with a ruler in the shot. For very large pieces, make sure you get “scale:” put a person in the frame (this can be especially important with insurance shots)
9. Get 3 shots of any signature from varying angles
10. Check how to read metadata on telephone shots for date stamps and research now how to take date stamped screen shot photographs as you “Face Time” a client. The technique for taking screen shots varies depending on which device you are using but can be determined by searching for “how to take screen shots on [your device model].” The date stamp is especially helpful because it establishes the exact day and time the image was captured, and documents the item’s condition at that time
Elizabeth Stewart photographed by Santi Visalli
Elizabeth Stewart, PhD, AAA is the owner of Elizabeth Appraisals in Santa Barbara, California and a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America. You can visit her website at https://elizabethappraisals.com.
John Flandrick photographed by Santi Visalli