How the Wright Brothers Caused a Female Fashion Trend
How did brother Orville and Wilbur Wright help inspire fashion designers from New York to Paris? Let's take a closer look!
Read More3 Clues to Solve an Old Photo Mystery
When a family member won't talk about a person in a picture, it makes you wonder why. It also leaves you with an unidentified family photo. Dale Wheeler's father never spoke about the woman in this photo. Dale has three possible identities for this young woman: Julia Ann...
Read MoreTwentieth-Century Mustache Mania
From the White House to Hollywood, mustaches of the 20th century were iconic and considered manly. The underlying message was that strong men wore facial hair. Teddy Roosevelt to Clark Gable and beyond, the presence of a mustache conveyed a sense of strength in personality and actions. Each of these...
Read MoreWorld War I Women
June 28 is recognized as the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which triggered beginning of World War I a month later. The United States didn't formally enter the war until April 6, 1917.When men enlisted in the service and left their jobs, women...
Read MoreThe Marsteller Old-Photo Mystery
Last week I outlined the mystery of the Ralph Marsteller photo. This week I'm back with more details. Let's start with some basics. What are they wearing?Clothing clues can be very helpful, BUT it's important to remember that there were lots of different styles every season and...
Read MoreForeign Photos in the Family Album
This week I'm at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference. It's a huge event with folks attending from all over the globe. I love the international atmosphere and especially like looking at photographs taken around the world. Photos taken in foreign lands can be particularly challenging. Instead of...
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A Southern Photo Mystery
The story of a photograph is so much more than its simple details. This is a carte de visite (CDV) image. The mounted size of a CDV is 2.125 x 3.5 inches. The slight oval shadow on this picture signifies it was once in an album...
Read MoreJean-ealogy: Ancestors in Blue Jeans
When I was working on my book Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album, I spent a lot of time looking for all sorts of clothing examples. As one of the photo shows, I found this picture of a man wearing what looks like blue jeans. Today jeans are...
Read MorePhoto and Fashion Research Books Premium
I keep track of new publications on a variety of subjects, including photo history, costume history and the latest scrapbooking techniques for creating heritage albums. My book collection is growing at such a rapid rate that we had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves built in our family room. But there is a core...
Read MoreBasics of Historic Fashion Premium
When we think of milestones in US history, the Revolutionary War, Civil War and civil rights movement immediately come to mind. Knowing the details of events like these puts your ancestors into historical context. But turning points in American fashion history—for instance, the first riveted blue jeans (1873), sunglasses (1885)...
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