Don’t Forget the Women and Children in Old Photos
Last week, I examined the cataloging record and photo format clues for this stereograph picture, taken between 1860 and 1864, from the Library of Congress online photo collection. This week, let’s talk about the individuals shown. Who’s in the Photo? The Library of Congress caption states they’re members of the Wallack family of New […]
Read MoreSeeing Double: 5 Clues in an Old Stereograph Photo
I love the Library of Congress. I can lose myself for hours in its online historical photos collection doing random searches. Sometimes I even tackle one of their photo mysteries for fun. If there's one thing that gets my attention, it's when I see a photo with a partial caption...
Read MoreWhat’s the Story in this Old Family Photo? The Big Reveal!
It's time to look at the big picture, the whole image and the rest of the details. If you've followed the last two posts, you've heard Mikael Hammerman's family story and seen some of the clues in the picture. Let's answer his big question: Is this his great-grandmother's...
Read MoreHow Clues in Your Old Family Photos Can Keep You Out of Trouble
It's time for another installment of Mikael Hammerman's mystery photo, which shows a mother and a daughter—and just might shed light on his family legend about a young mother who ran away with her employer to America. Clues in a picture can keep you from jumping to conclusions...
Read MoreCan an Old Mystery Photo Prove a Passed-Down Family Tale?
Don't you love a good story? I do. As genealogists we're trained to listen to the tales told at family gatherings and sort fiction from fact. Pictures not only come with their own set of stories, but they also can be used as proof of a genealogical event. ...
Read MoreCounting the Clues to Solve an Old Photo Mystery
The three parts to this German photo mystery are the caption, the date of the image and the family history information. The first blog post dated the image to the 1880s, and the second post discussed caption translation confusion. Please read the comments to the Caption Confusion post. A woman...
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Foreign Photo Caption Mystery
Ownership is a clue to who's in a mystery photo. The problem is while most people know who gave them a picture—such as an aunt, parent or grandparent—but before that, ownership information may be unknown. Debra Allison can trace the provenance (ownership) of this picture back to her great-grandmother Antoinette...
Read MoreWorld War I Uniforms for Little Boys
A few months ago I featured a picture of a little boy in a German style military uniform and discussed how boys could dress like the servicemen in their family. Paul Daraghy sent in three photos of his father wearing a miniature World War I uniform complete with belt and...
Read MoreLittle Boys in Military Dress in Old Photos
Patsy Ellinger's picture of 3-year-old Paul Robert Engemann and his older brother Karl Engemann, age 5, is a charming portrayal of two little boys playing dress up. It was taken circa 1902. Both boys wear miniature military uniforms, copying those likely worn by soldiers in Silesia, Prussia. This...
Read MoreProud Mamas in Old Photos: Finding the Clues
What's the first thing you see when you look at this picture? My eye immediately gravitates to the woman and her slight smile. She's one proud Mama seated with her two children and her husband. Your eye might be drawn to the wicker chairs...
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