An unusual photograph from Quaintance's male physique period sold on eBay, April 18, 2024. The title was "Trail (sic) by Combat Men Knife Fighting Art Picture Quaintance."
The photograph was an original black and white photo of the canvas Trial by Combat. Online images showed the correct studio imprint and other information. It was typical of the thousands of black and white photographs produced by the Quaintance Studio in its heyday, measuring about 8x10 inches and printed on heavy stock. Slight age discoloration and some rippled edges added bona fides.
But lo, the two central figures — and a murderous looking yucca — are in vivid color. The listing gives no explanation for this, nor does it indicate whether the seller knew this was an oddball item.
The photo sold for $50.
This is not the first instance I've seen of the Studio's b&w photos with color added, but this is the first that added color selectively, rather than to the entire image, and the first to use vivid non-watercolor ink or paint. Other colorized images used watercolors in pastel washes that sometimes bled into the margins, such as this example of Morning.
The burning question is: who added the color? It seems that new ways of misusing and abusing the Quaintance estate continue to emerge. According to US copyright law, works created after 1923, but before 1978, are protected for 95 years from the date of publication. Enforcement, however, requires that someone is minding the store.
Everything on this website is free. If you enjoy reading these articles, please consider making a donation to help defray the costs of hosting and domain registration. The "Donate" button will get you started. Thank you.