Posted by Fred Zwegat on April 28, 1997 at 10:13:42:
In Gary's response concerning the album mounting of prints he mentioned the involvement of the publisher in this process. As a collector of Meiji prints, many of which are "backed", I have been curious as to what the publisher's role was in the preparation of albums. Was the series released already bound, or would the patron take the loose sheets to a vendor, other than the publisher, who would mount the prints? The prints in larger series by Gekko and Toshikata were printed and released over the span of a few years. If compiled by the publisher, were individual sheets sold and others held back for album mounting? Are there any reference sources in English which document this process? Thank you