Identifying Mourning Clothes in Victorian Photos
Queen Victoria set the standard for both wedding attire and for mourning. Here are three examples of mourning dress in Victorian-era photography.
View DetailsFollow-up to Stitching Together An Identification
Two weeks ago in Stitching Together An Identification, I wrote about Candace Fountoulakis and her search to identify the women in two photos. At the time she thought they were related. Soon after I posted the column she wrote to update me on her search. Now she doesn't...
View DetailsUncovering Your Revolutionary War Ancestor
This carte de visite of Daniel Frederick Bakeman commemorates his status as the last living Revolutionary War soldier in 1868. Bakeman died the following year. This image was widely available in the 19th century and Bakeman is generally accepted as the last living Revolutionary War soldier, but there is one...
View DetailsStitching Together an Identification
Last June, I wrote about a photo owned by Candace Fountoulakis that was surrounded by a cross-stitch pattern. At the time I published the photo, Candace thought the couple was from either her Watts or Boohler side of the family, but now she's not sure. This photo changed her mind:&...
View DetailsSpotting a Wedding Photo
Irene Powell sent me this lovely wedding photo of her great-grandfather Joseph Kapler and his wife, Theresa. They were married in December, 1888. Their clothing is perfect for the late 1880s. Theresa's dress features a fitted bodice and her sleeves have vertical puffs at the shoulder seam. Her skirt has...
View DetailsJamboree Mystery Photo
I'm back from the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree. Over 1,700 folks attended the three-day event. I met many readers of this column. Thank you for stopping by and saying hello! As usual, I held individual photo consultations. This is one of my favorite part of going...
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Photo Detective September 2010 Premium
If you’ve ever seen one of those “Can you spot the differences?” photos or drawings, you’ll understand June Thomazin’s problem with these two photos that belong to her cousins.
View DetailsPhoto DetectiveOnline and On the Road
I hope to see you this month in Boston; Burbank, Calif.; or Wellington, Kan. I'm always looking for photos to feature in this space and in the Photo Detective column of Family Tree Magazine, so I hope you'll stop by and say hello (and bring a mystery photo if you...
View DetailsA Memorial Day Salute and a Web Reunion
About a year ago I started creating short videos of photo cases I've worked on and began posting them on Vimeo.com. Last week I featured a photo from Valerie Moran. It's a lovely summer scene and the flags in it provided a valuable clue. Hope you enjoy it! A...
View DetailsIt’s a Family Tree Reunion!
Last week I wrote about June Thomazin's search for information on a picture, featured in my Research Rewards post. A relative had identified the subjects, but June thought the photo depicted someone else. All her digging finally paid off. One of the readers of this blog contacted me to say...
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