More From My Mailbag         About This Feature         More Expert Photo Analysis         Preserving Your Family Photographs           .         Ethnic Toolkits Web Exclusive Forms Bookstore Soundex Code Generator Resources Writing Workshops Newsletter		More From My Mailbag By Maureen A. Taylor Here's another installment of striking images from readers. If you'd like to submit one of your photos for analysis in either this column or Family Tree Magazine's Photo Detective column, consult the submission guidelines at www.familytreemagazine.com/photos/photohelp.htm. I look forward to seeing your pictures! Figure 1 Some readers submit lots of information to help me date and identify their family images, but many queries resemble this one from Peg Koontz: "Picture being submitted for identification, would love to know about the date taken. Thanks." Dear Peg, To date this attractive image of a mother and two children, look at the woman's hairstyle and the son's tunic suit. Her full hairstyle would support any of the large hats in style between 1900 and 1910. (Oversize decorative pins would have secured a hat to her hair.) The boy's short pants and tunic top with attached belt also were popular at that time. Although toddlers of both sexes wore dresses in the early 1900s, I can tell that the younger child is a girl because of the center part in her hair. To identify these family members, check your genealogical records for a girl born at the turn of the 20th century with a brother a few years older. Figure 2 "Here is a picture of an unknown woman. This picture has been passed down two or three generations without an identity. Would you please try to date the picture?" —Andrea Ware Dear Andrea, It amazes me how many beautiful photographs remain unidentified. This young woman in her mid- to late teens is obviously dressed for a special occasion. Is she a debutante, a graduate or ready to go to her first grown-up dance? Whatever the occasion, the image has a number of clothing clues that establish a time frame. In the late 1890s (especially after 1896), women's dresses featured tight lower sleeves and puffy upper sleeves similar to the style worn in this portrait. Her choice of accessories—fan and handkerchief—are not unusual for the time period. And young, unmarried women often wore bows in their hair. Her age combined with the dress and accessories suggest that this is a graduation photo. White was a common color for graduations and summer events. Figure 3 "I believe the picture of the couple to be my third-great-grandparents Daniel and Imogene Johnson Pence. Imogene lived between 1812 and 1883." —Brenda Gordon Dear Brenda, This photograph was taken in the mid-1880s, perhaps as early as 1883, the year Imogene died. I base my time estimate on the woman's draped overskirt, the small buttons and velvet panels on her bodice, and her handmade collar and cuffs. Her fingerless gloves, called mitts, are more commonly seen in 1840s portraits, but they briefly reappeared in the 1880s. If you think this woman could be in her late 60s, then your identification might be correct. I think she looks younger than that, but she may have aged well. The mat around this portrait is actually a page from a photo album. The slit in the mat below the photo is for sliding the image into place. Maureen A. Taylor, owner of Taylor & Strong, combines her background in history, genealogy, photography and library science to assist individuals and institutions with research and project management. She is the author of several genealogical books and articles, including Preserving Your Family Photographs, Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs and Scrapbooking Your Family History. Her current book, Preserving Your Family Photographs, shows you how to organize and store your most cherished images, so future generations can enjoy them. You'll learn how to care for family photos, identify different types of damage, use basic conservation techniques, buy proper storage materials and then organize your family photo archive and safely display it for all to see.
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