Antique Photo Show Draws the Nostalgic

Exhibitors from all over came out and presented their hidden gems and prized possessions for sale at this year's DC Antique Photo Show, held once again at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn, and hosted for the third year by Diverse Markets Management. 

“I started collecting antique stereoviews 35 years ago and eventually branched out with everything else,” said Stuart Butterfield, an exhibitor from Wilmington, DE. You can find him at about eight or nine shows a year (on average), showcasing what he’s got, up and down the East Coast.

For those history buffs with an eye for photography, this was definitely the place to be, and is certainly a hobby worth looking into. With an hour and a half to go until close (at 4pm), Exhibitor Chris Myer from Ohio said he had already sold several hundred dollars worth of vintage photographs of all kinds (stereoviews, daguerreotypes, CDVs, etc.)

It was a bit of an older crowd that came out in attendance, searching for some oldies but goodies, and some of them knew exactly what they were looking for. Patrons and kind customers could be overheard asking about a specific subject of photographs and even requesting specific time period. Some even tried negotiating, but exhibitors held strong when it came to adjusting a price.

“Baseball Americana” co-author Frank Ceresi was on a hunt for vintage baseball pictures and a few rowing photos, too. The rowing pictures are "research," he says, for a movie he might make about a friend’s daughter who won the Henley Regatta in 2002. Ceresi has a deep love and appreciation for history of the D.C. Metropolitan Area.

Diverse Markets Management's Director Mike Berman said that experts like museum curators and people from the Library of Congress are usually among those in attendance, along with regular people in tune with this timeless hobby. Mike Berman’s DMM partner-in-crime Tom Rall has been a vintage photo dealer for a long time, so it was a perfect fit for them to take over three years ago when the previous owner of DC's Antique Photo Show was looking to move on.

Didn’t make it to this year's Antique Photo Show and can't bare waiting another year for it to come back around? You don't have to. Diverse Markets Management can be found at the Flea Market at the Eastern Market on Capitol Hill every weekend.