Tips for Genealogical Research

DATING OLD PHOTOGRAPHS

In searching for the identities of persons in old photographs, sometimes it is helpful to first establish a time frame. Here are ten ways to help date old photographs:

1- Many studio photographs have the name and/or address of the studio printed on it. By using city directories, it is possible to find out when the studio was in business at that address.

2- Clothing or uniforms--here are some Web sites that feature some examples of period clothing.

• Harpers Bazaar Online - http://www.victoriana.com/library/harpers/harpers.html
• Victoriana - http://www.victoriana.com/index.html
• Vintage Clothing at GladRags - http://www.vintagegladrags.com/
• Stoney Creek Trading Co. - Historical and Primitive Clothing, Accouterments & Supplies for Re-enactors and Trekkers. http://www.pconline.com/~sctrader/page11.htm
• AzRA Historical Resources - Wardrobe - http://members.aol.com/azrahist/war.htm
• Grand Illusions - http://www.grand-illusion.com/
• Civil War Period Uniforms and Accouterments - http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/olustee/uniforms/uniforms.html

3- Year and make of automobiles (also check license plates for year)

• Cars of Yesterday - http://www.carsofyesterday.com/gallery/index.html
• Antique, Classic Car Photos - http://www.c-zone.net/dochemp/hcca1.html

4- Arrangement in a photo album is many times chronological.

5- Look for correspondence that tells of vacations or trips, then match photos with trips and get dates from letters or postmarks.

6- Architecture and decor of houses may also provide clues.

7- Match with other photos that have dates on them. See if you can determine that the setting or person is the same as the setting or person in a photo that has a date on it.

8- Look for photos within a photo that may provide clues.

9- Furnishings--check with antique shops.

10- Types of photos--Below are some photo types and estimated years in which they were used.

• Daguerrotypes - 1840s to 1860s
• Ambrotypes 1850s to 1880s
• Tintypes 1850s to 1920s
• Pannotypes 1850s to 1860s
• Calotypes 1830s to 1880s
• Stereographs Civil War period
• Lantern Slides
• Albumen Prints 1850 to 1890

Other articles that may be helpful in identifying old photographs are:

• Card and Paper Photographs, 1854-1900," by Diane VanSkiver Gagel - http://www.ancestry.com/magazine/articles/photographs.htm
• Preserving Old Photos - http://www.ancestry.com/columns/myrtle/april98/my980427.htm
• Deciphering Age of old Photographs http://www.ancestry.com/columns/myrtle/april98/my980417.htm

More information can be found in "Unlocking the Secrets in Old Photographs," by Karen Frisch-Ripley http://ancestry.viamall.com/ancestry/unsecinoldph1.html and Unlocking Secrets in Old Photographs (Review by DearMYRTLE) http://www.ancestry.com/columns/myrtle/april98/my980414.htm

Thanks to Nan Wolf for submitting the above information to the Arrandol List. The author is unknown.

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