Photography Appraisals

triptych photographs of elephant parading through city street

Photography is at the heart of our visual culture and we get many requests to establish a rare photograph's value. As with other works of art - a high-quality and rare photograph's value can be quite high, fetching strong results at auction. 

2693
appraisals performed

Have something to appraise in Photography?

Get your appraisal in three simple steps!

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Step 1

Upload a photo

Upload a photo of your item

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art
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Step 2

Item is appraised

Experts appraise your item

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art
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Step 3

Receive appraisal

We send you your appraisal

When collecting photography, it is important to consider the rarity of an image. Because photographs can be relatively easy to replicate, it is necessary to determine what makes a photograph unusual before establishing a price. This could be the presence of hand colouring or darkroom manipulation or the fact that the image is part of a limited edition collection. Photographs made before 1950 are generally considered unusual, while photographs from during the early years of photography (1839-1900) are very rare and often unique. Older photographs typically have historical significance as well, making them attractive to historians and collectors.

If you'd like to get a photography valuation from our online specialist, simply upload a photograph and tell us any other details you know about the item.

Our Photography Experts

Our photography expert graduated in 1984 with a Master of Fine Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology. In 1987-1989 he was a photography specialist at Phillips Auction NYC. As a photographer himself he specialises in architectural photograph with a list of clients that include New Times Magazine and Metropolis Magazine. In 1994 he secured a grant from the Graham Foundation to photograph Bronx Art Deco Architecture. Since 1989-2005 he has acted as a private photography dealer in New York City specialising in Performance & Conceptual Art Photographs with clients that include Metropolitan Museum of Art and SFMOMA.

Learn About Photography

Photography

For nearly 200 years, photography has not only been able to capture still images of moments in our world, but also the deep fascination of an audience since its inception.

Upload a photo
Upload a photo of your item
Item is appraised
Experts appraise your item
Receive appraisal
We send you your appraisal