Finding Photo Clues in Historical Hat Styles
This mystery photo features a lovely assortment of Gilded Age hat styles. Let's take a closer look at the details in this photo, (including the hats!) to see what more we can learn.
Read MoreLabor Day: Work Clothes in Old Photos
The first Labor Day was held Sept. 5, 1882 in New York City, sponsored by the Central Labor Union. You can read more about the history of Labor Day here. In honor of Labor Day, let's take a look at an occupational portrait of a latch maker in the collection...
Read MoreAdding up the Clues to Identify an Old Mystery Photo
Last week I wrote about the importance of knowing the lineage of your photos. The key details of provenance can keep you from making a photo identification mistake. Kimble DaCosta knows a lot about the photos she inherited. Her ancestor Ella Seamands identified most of the images in a chest...
Read MoreBig Hats in Family Photos
Ronnie O'Rourke's great aunt Mary (Mamie) Smith (b. 1892) wears an enormous hat in this family portrait. Her grandson identified her in the image, but now the family wants to know who's standing with her. Her hat and dress are quite stylish for this outdoor event. The presence of the...
Read MoreNorth of the Border Old-Photo Mystery
Jane Smith owns this lovely photo of a young girl and an older man. She hopes it depicts her great-grandfather Patrick Hughes, born in 1836 in County Down, Ireland. He died in 1899 in Toronto, Canada, after a successful career as a merchant. The picture was found in a...
Read MoreThe Well-Dressed Couple Again and Solving a Group Photo Mystery
Last week I showed you a picture of an unknown well-dressed couple circa 1905. Where there's one unidentified photo there are usually more. That's true for Amir Evenchik's collection of images. He owns several other pictures of the same couple taken a few years later. Unfortunately, no one can identify...
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Western Pastimes: Billiards Buddies Follow-Up
In the May/June 2014 issue of Family Tree Magazine is a photo of six men standing with billiard cues. Two of the men are Charlotte Flock's maternal and paternal grandfathers. Instead of a formal portrait, Flock's ancestors posed during a pause in their favorite pastime. On the far left is...
Read MoreNew England House History Mystery
This photo of a large family farm has proven difficult to identify. However, a closer look at the small details can help yield some clues.
Read More“Reading” a Family Photo Album
I love a good story, don't you? Every photo album tells one if you know where to look. The arrangement of the images is a key part of unraveling the threads of the tale. If you're like Daniel Gwinn, you probably inherited a family photo album with few (if any)...
Read MoreLooking for a Pennsylvania Connection
Every week I search the submissions for this column looking for a mystery photo. Each photo is accompanied by some basic information and usually a story. My next steps are to contact the person who sent in the photo either by phone or email, then start digging for more information...
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