Platemark s2e21 history of prints: Reproductive Prints (part one)

Confused about reproductive prints? In s2e21, Platemark hosts Ann Shafer and Tru Ludwig take listeners back to a time when there were no images save for maybe what one saw in church and prints were the way the first images were widely consumed. They were that era’s internet. A reproductive print is one in which an artist created a design (a drawing, painting, sculpture) and another artist creates a print after that original design. These can be sanctioned by the first artist or not; they can occur long after the first artist‘s death. It is customary to acknowledge all the artists in the strip of lettering at the bottom of the print (called the address). This way credit is given where due. Over time, reproductive prints became quite formulaic and staid. When photography was developed in the 1830s, it wasn’t long before there was little need for the reproductive print.