◆Launch price: 40% off until November 30 · ends in November 30◆
Colorado in Black & WhiteMarc Schuman · Fine art photography

Silver gelatin print · Signed · Numbered

Engine No. 4471Pennsylvania Railroad, under a full head of steam

  • Pennsylvania Railroad
  • Date and location unknown
  • Ernest Roberts Collection
Launch price · 40% offUntil November 30
$1,099$1,849from December 1

Launch price until November 30. From December 1 this size is $1,849. Plus $60 shipping and $59 gallery packing.

Launch price ends in
00Days00Hrs00Min00Sec

Limited edition of 500. Once they are sold, Marc will never print this photograph again, in any size.

Choose your size

Size is the mount board. The photograph sits on it with at least 2 in of border at the top and sides and about 5 in at the bottom, where Marc signs.

Buy this print $1,099
  • Secure checkout by Square
  • Tracked UPS delivery
  • 30-day promise
  1. TodayYou order
  2. In 1 to 2 weeksLeaves the darkroom
  3. A few days laterAt your door
The print
A silver gelatin print on fiber-base paper, made by hand in Marc's darkroom from the original 8×10 inch negative. Signed on the mount below the lower right corner of the image, numbered, with provenance documentation attached to the back.
Size and framing
You choose the mount board size. On the 13¾ × 16 in board the image is about 7 × 9 in; On the 16 × 20 in board the image is about 10½ × 13 in; On the 20 × 24 in board the image is about 13½ × 17 in. The print arrives mounted flat and unframed, ready for your framer. Wait until it arrives before ordering a frame, since each board can vary slightly.
Authenticity
Marc keeps every negative himself and is the only person who prints from them. Nothing digital is involved between his camera and your print. Each one is signed, numbered and documented.
Shipping and returns
Shipping is a flat $60 plus $59 for gallery packing. Sent by UPS with tracking, signature required, US addresses only. Arrives damaged? Marc replaces it. Not happy? Write to him within 30 days of delivery to arrange a return.
Questions before you buy? Email Marc. He answers about his prints himself.

Pennsylvania Railroad Engine No. 4471

01 The photograph

Parked, polished and blowing its whistle for the camera

This is a classic railroad company photograph. Pennsylvania Railroad Engine No. 4471, a 2-10-0 Decapod of the I1s class, stands polished and uncoupled under a full head of steam, blowing its whistle for the company photographer.

The engine isn't moving. The big 8×10 cameras of the day had shutters far too slow to stop a running train, so the locomotive was parked for the picture. The other giveaway is the smoke, which rises straight up instead of streaming back over the engine.

The negative comes from the Ernest Roberts Railroad Photography Collection, which Marc holds. The date and place were never recorded. The 8×10 negative prints beautifully, and Marc makes each print from it by hand in his darkroom.

"A classic promotional photograph, if there ever were one."

Marc Schuman
Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
Engine
No. 4471, 2-10-0 Decapod, class I1s
When
Date unknown
Where
Location unknown
Negative
8×10 inch, Ernest Roberts Railroad Photography Collection
Print
Silver gelatin on fiber-base paper, made by hand by Marc from the original negative

02 On your wall

See it at true size before you buy

Choose a room and a size. The print is drawn to scale in a simple black frame, the way most people finish it. It arrives mounted and unframed.

The print shown to scale above a 72 inch credenza

Shown to scale above a 72 in credenza, hung about 10 in above the top.

03 The darkroom

A darkroom print, made one at a time

Most photographic wall art today is printed from a digital file. This print isn't. Marc shines light through the original negative onto fiber paper coated with a silver emulsion, then develops the print by hand in trays of chemistry, the way fine photographs were made for most of the last century.

Nothing digital happens between the original 8×10 negative and the print on your wall. Marc keeps the negatives himself, and nobody else can print from them.

Getting one print right takes Marc a full day in the darkroom and at the mounting table. The whole time, he's asking himself one question.

"Am I producing the very best print possible of the negative in my enlarger?"

Marc Schuman
8×10 inch negative THE ORIGINAL NEGATIVE 35mm frame same scale

An 8×10 inch negative has about 60 times the area of a 35mm frame. For the 20 × 24 in print Marc enlarges it only about 1.7 times, so the detail in the engine and the steam stays sharp up close.

60×More film area than a 35mm frame
1.7×Enlargement for the 20 × 24 in print
1Full day of Marc's work for each print
100+Years it lasts, kept out of direct sun

Watch

Marc, making a print

Forty-three seconds in the darkroom: a sheet of fiber paper going through the trays as the image comes up. Every print of Engine No. 4471 is made this way, for one buyer at a time.

How it compares

FeatureMarc's darkroom printTypical mass-produced photo print
Made fromThe original film negativeA digital file
How it's printedBy hand, with light and chemistry, on fiber-base paperInkjet or press, in volume
Who makes itMarc, one print at a time, after you orderA print shop or factory, often ahead of time
Signed and numberedYes, with provenance documentationRarely
How long it lastsA century or more when kept out of direct sunDepends on the inks and paper

04 What you receive

What arrives at your door

Front of the mounted print, drawn to scale. Switch sizes to compare.

Attached to the back

Provenance

Title
Engine No. 4471
Date
Date and location unknown
Print
Silver gelatin, fiber base
Number
 
Signed
 

Illustration. Marc fills in the documentation for each print by hand.

  • The print, silver gelatin on fiber-base paper, made by Marc from the original negative
  • Mounted flat on high-quality backing board, 16 × 20 in
  • Signed by Marc on the mount, just below the lower right corner of the image
  • Numbered, with provenance documentation attached to the back
  • Shipped by UPS with tracking. Someone needs to be home to sign for it.

Not included: a frame

Marc doesn't sell frames, on purpose. Glass and frames add weight, cost and risk to shipping. Take the mounted print to a local framer once it arrives, and wait until you have it in hand before ordering the frame, since each board can vary slightly in size.

Packed the way galleries ship art

  1. Soft paper over the image, fixed to the back of the board
  2. Sheet foam wrapped around the front and back
  3. Taped between two oversize corrugated sheets
  4. Set in an oversize box filled with foam chips

Every material is new. Nothing is reused.

05 Timing

From your order to your wall

  1. 1Today

    You order

    Marc emails you to confirm the order and give you a ship date.

  2. 21 to 2 weeks

    In the darkroom

    Marc prints, dries, mounts, signs and numbers your print.

  3. 3Shipping

    Packed and sent

    Packed by hand and sent by UPS with tracking and a signature on delivery.

  4. 4On arrival

    On your wall

    Unwrap it, look it over, and take it to your framer.

Buying it as a gift?Order by November 30 for delivery before Christmas.
00Days00Hrs00Min00Sec
Portrait of photographer Marc Schuman
Portrait by Daniel Montano, Elevation Creation, Denver

06 The printmaker

Meet Marc Schuman

Marc learned photography in the darkroom his father built at home in Tulsa, with his father's Rolleiflex. He switched from engineering to fine arts at Purdue University, graduated in photography in 1970, and went on to run three photography shops in western Colorado and Montana for thirty years, shooting weddings, architecture and cinema work along the way.

He still does every step himself. He exposes the film, develops it, prints it, mounts it and signs it, working with everything from 35mm cameras up to an 8×10 view camera, and with the Zone System he learned as a student. When he isn't in the mountains or the darkroom, he's a substitute teacher east of Colorado Springs.

  • Since childhoodBehind a camera and in a darkroom
  • Purdue, 1970Fine Arts, concentration in photography
  • 30 yearsRunning photography shops in Colorado and Montana
  • RetrospectiveA retrospective of his photography for Purdue University

07 Buy with confidence

Marc's promises to you

Arrives safely, or it's replaced

If your print is damaged in shipping, email Marc within 30 days of delivery and he will replace it.

30 days to be sure

If the print isn't what you hoped for, write to Marc within 30 days of delivery. He will work it out with you, up to a full refund of the print price when it comes back undamaged. Return shipping is paid by the buyer.

Prices only go up

The launch price is the lowest this print will ever be offered. From December 1 it rises, and Marc never discounts after that.

"I stand behind my work."Marc Schuman

08 Questions

Before you buy

Everything buyers usually ask about this print, in one place.

Something else? Email Marc and he'll get back to you.
Why does this print cost more than other photo prints?

Because it's made a different way. Marc prints it himself in a darkroom from the original 8×10 inch negative, on fiber-base paper, and one print takes him a full day in the darkroom and at the mounting table. It's signed, numbered and documented, and it's made only after you order.

You're paying for that time and skill, not for a file sent to a print shop.

Why is there a launch price?

This print is offered at a launch price until November 30. From December 1 the price rises: the 13¾ × 16 in goes from $899 to $1,499; the 16 × 20 in goes from $1,099 to $1,849; the 20 × 24 in goes from $1,299 to $2,199. After that, prices only go up, never down.

Is this an inkjet or digital print?

No. It's a silver gelatin print, also called a silver halide fiber-base print. Marc projects light through the original negative onto light-sensitive paper and develops it in chemistry. Nothing digital is involved at any step.

How big is the photograph itself?

The size you choose is the mount board. The image on the 13¾ × 16 in board it is about 7 × 9 in; on the 16 × 20 in board it is about 10½ × 13 in; on the 20 × 24 in board it is about 13½ × 17 in. The borders are at least 2 in at the top and sides and about 5 in at the bottom.

Every print is made by hand, so the exact size can vary slightly.

Does it come framed?

No. Your print arrives mounted flat on backing board, ready for a framer. Marc doesn't offer framing, because glass and frames make shipping heavier, costlier and riskier.

Wait until the print arrives before you order a frame, so your framer can measure the actual board.

Is it signed and numbered?

Yes. Marc signs the mount just below the lower right corner of the image. Each print is numbered and has provenance documentation attached to the back.

Will the logo be on my print?

No. The logo is a watermark on the website images only.

How long until it arrives?

Each print is made to order and takes one to two weeks before it ships. Marc emails you after you order to confirm the ship date.

It travels by UPS with tracking, and someone needs to be there to sign for it.

What does delivery cost, and where do you ship?

Shipping is a flat $60, plus $59 for gallery packing. Orders ship to addresses in the United States. Both charges show at checkout before you pay.

How is it packed?

Soft paper goes over the image, then sheet foam front and back. The print is taped between two oversize sheets of corrugated cardboard and set in the middle of an oversize box filled with foam chips. All of it is new material.

What if it arrives damaged?

Email Marc within 30 days of delivery and he will replace it.

What if I don't like it?

Write to Marc within 30 days of delivery. He will work it out with you, up to a full refund of the print price when the print comes back undamaged. Returns need his OK first, and the buyer pays return shipping.

Will it fade?

A properly processed silver gelatin fiber print lasts a century or more when it's kept out of direct sunlight. Hang it away from strong sun, and ask your framer about UV-filtering glass for extra protection.

If I order another print of this image later, will it match?

Prints made at different times can differ slightly in density and contrast, because each one is made by hand. If you want matching prints, order them at the same time.

I'm buying for an office, hotel or design project. Can I order several?

Yes. Email Marc at coloradoinblackandwhite@gmail.com with the images, sizes and quantities you have in mind, and he'll reply with timing.

Can I ask Marc a question before I buy?

Yes. Email coloradoinblackandwhite@gmail.com and Marc will answer you himself.

Is checkout secure?

Checkout is handled by Square, the payment company. Your card details go straight to Square and never touch this page. You see the full total, shipping included, before you pay. Square takes all major cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Cash App Pay, and on most orders you can split the total into four interest-free payments with Afterpay.

Made for you, one print at a time

Engine No. 4471Pennsylvania Railroad, under a full head of steam

  • Pennsylvania Railroad
  • Date and location unknown
Launch price · 40% offUntil November 30
$1,099$1,849from December 1

Launch price until November 30. From December 1 this size is $1,849. Plus $60 shipping and $59 gallery packing.

Choose your size
Buy this print $1,099
  • Signed and numbered
  • Damage replaced
  • 30-day promise
Black and white photograph of Pennsylvania Railroad steam engine No. 4471 standing on the track under two towering columns of smoke and steam