Buy Now; The Increasing Popularity (and Scarcity) of Photographs

Buy Now; The Increasing Popularity (and Scarcity) of Photographs

It's no longer necessary to defend photography as art. In the last twenty years the medium has increasingly gained respect and prestige. Museums have curated thousands of photography shows, cultural centers have multiplied their holdings, and auction houses have seen pieces sell for more than quadruple their high estimates. 

Just two decades ago it was possible to find a copy of almost any photograph. Even vintage pieces considered important to the history of the medium were usually available and often sold very cheaply. Increasing acceptance and popularity, however, have begun to close the price gap between photography and other mediums, simultaneously cutting into what once seemed an inexhaustible supply.

Collectors are often interested in both vintage and contemporary pieces; their initial interest in one later leading them to a more in-depth exploration of the medium. Young people are particularly active collectors, but a kind of photography fever seems to be sweeping young and old collectors alike, making those older pieces increasingly more difficult to come by.