Archives for Maureen A. Taylor

Two Texas Mysteries

Take a good look at these photos from Peggy Batchelor Hamlett. I can date them, but I'm still working on identifying the symbolism on the men's shirts shirts. Pictorial Evidence: The design of the mat for the above image suggests it was taken in the 1860s...

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One More Time: Funny Pictures

I have another album of funny pictures to share with you. This time, there's even an entry from faraway Chile. Thanks to the Web, this column has readers around the globe.Laura Cook sent me several images of her grandmother Marie Schultheis clowning with friends in the summer of 1913...

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An Album of Funny Pictures

Last week I asked readers to submit funny pictures. Thank you to everyone who sent images. I've been laughing all week. So here they are...fun images that leave you wondering, "What were they thinking?"Sue Edminster sent in this photo (above) of men with numbers on the soles of...

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Funny Ancestral Pictures

Roxanne Turpin sent me a photo that made me think about the transition in photo poses. In most of the images from the 1840s, 1850s and even 1860s technology and our ancestors' discomfort with being photographed combine to make folks look like they're in pain. Then suddenly, people started to...

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Calling the Shots Premium

Having trouble attaching names to the faces in your family portraits? Fill in the blanks with our step-by-step photo-identification guide and worksheet.

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Photo Firsts Premium

Does your photo collection include cased portraits? The author of Preserving Your Family Photographs shares secrets for identifying and storing these early photographic images.

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Collecting Pictures of Your Ancestors

Genealogists are famous for collecting relatives, but what about acquiring images of those folks? Is it really possible to find previously unknown photos of family members from the advent of photography in 1839? The answer is that it depends. Family circumstances, their comfort level with photography and the availability of...

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Spotlight: Denver Public Library Picture Collection

It's over 90 degrees in my town today. The heat and humidity make me start thinking about winter. With months to go before the snow, I did the next best thing. I looked at pictures of cooler temperatures I found on the Denver Public Library Web site. All right. Not...

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Pictures Without Provenance

Hilda Barton sent me this lovely photo of a young girl with the subject line: "No Idea Who This is..." It's a picture without provenance. I've written about provenance before. It's the history of ownership of a photograph or other object. It's easy to underestimate the value of knowing...

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Tweet. Tweet. I’m on Twitter.

I've watched fellow genealogists talk about Twitter, but I've held back. Books, magazine articles and newspaper articles mention the power of Twitter. Oh boy, I thought. What is this new tool and how will I use it? I'm not really sure at this point...

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