Archives for Maureen A. Taylor

Why the Long Face? Part Two

A few weeks ago I wrote about posing devices employed by photographers to guarantee their clients sat still for their pictures. At that time I also asked if anyone had photographs of the actual head rests and other equipment. Jeffrey W. Deitchler answered the call and sent me two pictures...

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Photographing Children in Our Ancestors’ Day

In honor of Mother's Day, I'm including a short piece on photographing of children from Rhode Island photographers William Coleman and Orville Remington. They were business partners in their studio from 1867 to 1883. During their first year, the men published a booklet advising potential customers how to...

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House History Help: My Favorite Books

My bookshelves are an eclectic mix of volumes on everything from forensic identification of facial features to button history. Any book I think might help analyze a picture ends up in my library. This diversity of titles includes several tomes on house history. If you find yourself with an architecture...

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Raising the Roof: Architectural Images

This week's blog column is actually the second part of a photo mystery. The first installment appears in my Photo Detective article in the July 2009 Family Tree Magazine. That issue should be in your mail boxes starting this week. Here's a synopsis of the problem: Bergetta Monroe...

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6 Resources to Trace Your Family Forward Premium

Many of the same resources you use to research back in time also can help you research forward and find cousins.

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Why 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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Picture Origins: Overseas or in America?

In response to last week's column on tinted pictures, Barbara Stone sent in this oversize hand colored photo of a young woman. It's on canvas and framed in a gorgeous gold setting. According to Stone is was found in a collection of pictures of her father's Irish relatives who lived...

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Picture Origins: Overseas or in America

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Hand-Colored Photographs

Do you own any photographs that are hand-colored? These tinted enhancements range from delicately shaded pink lips and gold jewelry to elaborate coloring that obscures the image and transforms a photograph into a painting. Powders, paints, crayons and pastels were all used to make photographs look more lifelike. Some photographers...

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