Does This Old Photo Have a Hidden Message?
Houston County, TN ArchiveHistorical societies all over the country have old mystery photos of local citizens. The picture above is from the Houston County, Tenn., archives. Thank you to Archivist/Records Manager Melissa Barker for submitting this image. Melissa knows from the photographers imprint it was taken by Edward E...
Read MoreDeath Photography: Is it For Real?
There's no shortage of creepy postmortem photography on the web. But are those images the real thing? Here's a bit of history to separate fact from fiction.
Read MoreCars in Family Photos
In 20th century family photos, it's pretty common to see folks posed with their automobiles. It's a variation on the late 19th century scene with the family posed with their horse. Not everyone owned a car. Photo studios jumped on this as a marketing opportunity. Individuals...
Read MoreFurther Clues in the Connecticut Photo Mystery
Last week I introduced a photo mystery from the Derby (CT) Public Library with links to archaeological excavations. The big question is: "Who's in this photo?"Let's look at some of the evidence in the picture. The shed is of unknown use. A higher-resolution image might reveal what's inside the...
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...
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Giant Grasshopper Mystery Photo—Solved!
Our Photo Detective Maureen A. Taylor cracks the case of this mysterious photo and uncovers a fascinating historical tale of one man's hobby.
Read MoreProps in Old Family Photos
Don't you just love it when family history artifacts pop up in family photos? This is exactly what happened for genealogist Dorothy Jackson Reed. In 2007, she became the owner of a Book of Worship with the name Mary K. Fricke embossed in gold on the cover. According to the...
Read MoreCensus Taking in Pictures
My fingers are itching to start searching through the 1940 census. I've read that the National Archives website crashed due to the number of folks online doing the same thing. I'll wait a bit and try again. In the meantime, take a peek at some census-related...
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...
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