Signed Art Photography

All of Aaron Knight’s limited edition archival photographs are signed in the margin. This way, the signature will be displayed after your artwork is framed. His graphite signature appears on the front, on the bottom, in the white border that is present on all sides of the image. This method of limited edition art signed by the artist is traditional, rooted in his art education about limited edition lithographs and etchings. Many collectors prefer to buy art photography with a signature that will be visible after framing.

Traditional limited editions signed by the artist

Limited editions have traditionally been signed by the artist for good reasons. The artist’s signature attests to the faithful production of the artwork, including the image and the paper. The artist’s signature also means that you buy an original photograph from the edition, and it is part of their artistic vision, and not a mass-marketed reproduction. Rest assured that all limited edition photographs sold by Aaron Knight are personally inspected and hand signed by him.

Be aware of “artist-unseen” editions

Some photographs are marketed as editions, but are produced by third parties, and not the artist. These are marketed as “signed” limited editions, however the artist has never seen the printed photograph. How can this be? Some have printed signatures instead of hand-signed signatures. Others come with signed cards or certificates, but the artwork itself is unsigned. These separate documents were either signed in bulk ahead of time or signed by the third party licensed to print the photograph. While all of this is legal, it can be confusing to both new collectors, and even experienced collectors who may have not noticed the difference.

You can often determine that a photograph was hand signed by the artist by looking for a signature in graphite (pencil). This practice makes it more obvious that the artwork is hand signed, as graphite looks quite different from a digitally printed signature.

Deciphering limited edition jargon

The phrases, “signed” and “certificate of authenticity,” don’t tell you everything you want to know. Learn if the artwork is signed by the artist. We have seen limited edition art marketed within the following categories:

• Signed in graphite by the artist on the front (as Aaron Knight's are)
• Signed by the artist on the back (a matter of preference)
• Artwork not signed, sold with a certificate signed by the artist*

* Note: Unsigned art is almost always an artist-unseen edition, printed by a third party, even if accompanied by a separate artist-signed certificate or card.

Some photographers, especially those who don’t consider themselves an artist or traditional printmaker, will sign the mat (an element of framing) rather than sign their work.

Each artist or photographer has their own reasons for choosing how to sign their work which can include the traditions and training that influenced them, and various marketing concessions.

For Aaron Knight, it is important to sign the work directly, in the tradition of printmaking, as to attest to it passing his personal inspection for quality.

Ultimately, it’s up to the collector to decide how a direct signature from the artist affects how they feel about the artwork. Do you prefer limited edition art signed by the artist?

All Aaron Knight’s limited edition archival photographs are painstakingly inspected before he signs them. Photography collectors also receive a certificate of authenticity with each artwork they purchase. Aaron Knight works in-person with a local master art printer for consistent quality.

Artist-direct prices

Get the same price transparency when you buy art photography artist-direct as with an art dealer, plus receive US shipping at no additional cost. Read about transparent pricing. Never pay more, never have to shop around.