How 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 MoreTwelve Months of the Photo Detective
It's time to look back at the year. Every week I write a Photo Detective blog post—that's 52 columns in 12 months. It's a lot of free photographic advice and tips. Here are my month-by-month 2012 favorites.JanuaryLast New Year's I offered advice on sharing images online, tackled a photo...
Read MoreBackyard Snapshots
Studio portraits are lovely and very formal, but to find signs of everyday life, there's nothing like a snapshot. Ever since George Eastman introduced the amateur camera in the late 1880s, our ancestors have taken informal pictures. Dennis Rodgers sent in this picture of a known relative—his great-uncle...
Read MoreBritish vs. American: Readers Weigh In
Last week I posted two photos. One was an American and the other a British one. Photo 1Photo 2I asked all of you to vote on which one was which. There is no stumping this audience. The majority voted for photo 1 being the American man...
Read MoreThe Family Home as Backdrop in Old Pictures
Before flash photography, candles and lamplight couldn't provide sufficient illumination to take a photograph of a large group indoors. Families often chose to be photographed outdoors, with the family home as a backdrop. Photo Detective Maureen A. Taylor analyzes two such images on FamilyTreeMagazine.com. Solve your family photo mysteries...
Read MoreScenic Assistance
Thank you to everyone that attended last week's Photo Detective Live! webinar. Don't worry if you missed it. You can still watch and listen to it online. There's even a free PDF download to go with it. This week's photo was submitted as part of our call for images for...
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Hand-Me-Down Family
Years ago, Truli Powell's mother received a box of photos from one of her husband's cousins. Now Truli is trying to date and identify the images. She's hoping that the cousin only gave them images from their specific line. In this "like mother, like daughter" tintype, the mother and the...
Read MoreStudio Backdrops
At last weekend's FGS conference in Knoxville, I did a little shopping. Picked up a couple of interesting books and this lovely trio of photos. I just love the backdrops. This photographer spared no expense. While in the 19th century most backdrops looked like the outdoors or living rooms, in...
Read MoreFavorite Photo Mysteries
I’m taking a short vacation, so instead of a new column I’m taking a look back at some of my favorite mysteries. Back in January I published a photo of the Hobo 8, a group of young people (above) smiling for the camera. It’s a great photo that captures the...
Read MoreWhy the Long Faces in Old Photos?
Every so often I bump into a 19th century photo in which the subjects are grinning. It's a rare event. Occasionally, you see a Mona Lisa smile, but it's difficult to locate an image from the 19th century where folks actually showed teeth the way we do today. So, you're...
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