Wavy Hair in Your Family Photos
Last week, I wrote about how "radium perms" gave our ancestors' hair smooth curls. Two readers sent me pictures of their female ancestors with wavy hair. Whether permed or created with a curling iron, these female ancestors ended up with lovely 'dos. Sharon Haskin Galitz sent in a 1928 graduation...
Read MoreToxic Hairstyles in Old Family Photos
What's the weirdest thing you've ever done to your hair? Bad hair happens to everyone unless your hair is too short to go astray. You know what I'm talking about. Generations of women (and men) have spent money on preparations to make their hair conform to the latest...
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...
Read MoreOld Mystery-Photo Success Story: Six Years Later
So how long does it take to identify an old mystery photo? Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes not. It all depends on how many facts you have about a photo and if you can rule out possible subjects. In Michael Boyce's case, it took six years. He's determined to bring...
Read MoreWavy Hair in Old Photos: Spot the Right Decade
The next time you curl your hair, think about the success of 19th-century hairdresser Marcel Grateau. In 1872, he turned hair tongs upside down when styling a stage star's hair, and created a trend that remained popular for more than 50 years!Last week I discussed Jim DeVogt's funeral card...
Read MoreFirst Photo Mystery of 2015
Diana Luellen and her father found this old photo at his sister's house almost 20 years ago. A lot of the aunt's pictures were identified, but the portrait of this man and several others were not. Diana emailed me that "this is the one I keep on my computer desk...
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A Well-Dressed Couple
Old pictures have a tendency to turn up unexpectedly. For Amir Evenchik, this photo was recently found at his parent's house. It's the usual story: No one knows the identity of the couple or where they posed for this lovely formal portrait. Dating this photo is the easy part...
Read MoreSolving Old Photo Mysteries: Clues in Curls
Eunice Amelia Paulk (1842-1913)Jana Last knows a lot about her ancestor Eunice. She was born in Ohio, lived in Washington, Iowa, and eventually moved to California. At 19, she was a teacher in common school, a job she likely held until she married in 1876. You can read...
Read MoreSpotting a Copy
Here's a pretty typical family scenario: Mom and Dad have their picture taken in the early 1850s. Years later each of their five children wants a copy, so someone takes the original picture to the photo studio to have paper prints made. Each of those children pass that paper copy...
Read MoreA Family Portrait Photo Mystery
Lauren Hamilton submitted this photo with a few questions, but as soon as I saw it I thought, "uh oh, this might not be who Lauren and her cousin think it is."The cousins' great-great-grandfather John McCauley was a Mennonite minister in Ontario, and later an Evangelical minister in Iowa...
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