This guide is designed to arm collectors with knowledge and essential tools to combat counterfeit images.
About this guide
This guide is a compilation of columns, “Fakes, Forgeries and Frauds: Arming you with knowledge and tools to combat counterfeit images” by Perry M. Frohne. The columns appeared between Autumn 2019 and Autumn 2023 in Military Images, a quarterly magazine with a mission to showcase, interpret and preserve historic photography from the Civil War period. The order of the columns has been changed, and some modifications have been made to the text, for this publication.
This guide is offered as a service to photograph collectors of all levels of experience with the goal of educating and raising awareness of fake images—and giving you the tools you need to detect them. These images, created with the intent to deceive, entered the marketplace as early as the 1980s. They will always be out there. The guide will give you confidence and practical knowledge to help you avoid costly mistakes.
Perry M. Frohne is the owner of Frohne’s Historic Military. He has been investigating fake images for more than 25 years. He is a MI Senior Editor. Contact Perry at perryfrohne@aol.com.