My dad has given me a piece of art by Barrymore entitled "Quiet Waters" which prompted me to search on Google about it and that led me here.
To answer a lot of question that I have seen here. Etchings are done using a process where the artist uses a sharp needle an scratches into a metal plate to make the design. The scratches are then filled with ink and a piece of paper is then pressed against the plate and the ink transfers to the paper. This can be done multiple times, with each impression being an original print. Because the plate does deteriorate with each impression, etchings are rarely done in editions exceeding several hundreds and often far fewer, perhaps as few as a dozen. Note that the printed image is the reverse of the plate, so any signature or title would be backwards if it was made on the plate, unless the artist were to write it backwards, not a likely process. Most likely, any title or signature is done after the image is printed and done seperately for each print. So if you have an "original" etching, you would have one of the original impressions made from the plate. It is important to recognize that these are considered original works of art (such as a pen or pencil drawing of which there can be only one) even though there are multiple copies.
Now it is possible that you can make copies of an original etching using various printing techniques. Those would be called reproductions, and unlike the original printing can be done in editions of thousand or even millions with each one being identical. Since one of the things that determine the price of art is scarcity, reproductions of art have no real value. There is also the fact that the artist was not involved the process.
How to tell an original from a reproduction? Unfortunately the word "print" is used to describe both of them. Even more confusing is that many popular artists today will sign the prints of reproductions of their original paintings and they are sold as "prints signed by the artist". Aside from the fact that these prints are churned out by the thousands, no collector would consider these to be originals, and they have no real value aside from their decorative value.
Some reproduction techniques use a process that prints very small dots not visible to the naked eye. A good magnifying glass will reveal those. Other reproduction techniques are better and use continues areas of ink, but again, the use of a magnifying lens will point out the difference from an original. The signature and title in an original etching will look different from the etching itself. In a reproduction they will look the same. (Try this on all that junk mail that is made to look like it is signed and compare it to a real pen on paper.)
A number of companies gave out reproduction of Barrymore art as promotions. The gold ones fall in that category. There were also reproductions of black on white paper. That is what I have. It is a good reproduction as far as technique goes (no dots), but still a reproduction. Worth about $15. Even an original Barrymore etching isn't likely to be worth much. More value in the signature that the etching itself.
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