Photo Detective: By the Seashore Premium
Judy Miller sent a long note explaining who she thought was in the portrait. She was really hoping this picture shows her great-great-grandmother, Mary Jane Adams Waters, born about 1810, her great-grandmother Eleanor Waters Williamson, born 1847, and two of Eleanor's sisters. As soon as I clicked on the picture...
View DetailsHow Do I Date Foreign Photos? Premium
Q. I have a number of pictures of my family taken by foreign photographers. How can I date them? A. Dating a photograph by establishing when the photographer was in business is an essential part of photo identification. This research can assign a time frame for the image and...
View DetailsPhoto Detective: Why the Long Face? Premium
Someone, somewhere, sometime wrote the caption on this photo, Sam Long's Family. It should be simple to identify the people pictured—but not for Marianne West. She has several relatives named Sam Long. Let's find out which Sam is right for this picture. This caption isn't as straightforward as it...
View DetailsPhoto Detective: More Than Just Names Premium
In some cases the photographs in our collections are identified, but we still yearn to know more about the picture. There are so many unanswered questions about the content. For instance, you may know who the people are, but not where or when it was taken. This week's submission is...
View DetailsPhoto Detective: Frame of Reference Premium
The owner of this photograph is trying to determine a time frame for the image so that she can assign a possible identification. There are several ways to establish a date. In this case the size of the image, the photographer's imprint and the clothing worn by the couple are...
View DetailsPhoto Detective: Clearly Stated Premium
On the back of genealogist Rene Larson's photo, someone (she doesn't know who) wrote, "The Edwards Family. This picture taken at Gore, Okla. sometime before statehood." Larson wonders if the caption is right. She submitted a couple of questions and a lot of answers, having already used her...
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Boston’s Dreams of Freedom Museum Premium
Boston, a city filled with historical attractions, competition for tourists' attention is fierce. One of the city's newest museums, Dreams of Freedom, successfully pulls in visitors by telling the story of Boston's rich immigrant history with lifelike mannequins, virtual environments and traditional artifacts. You enter hearing the words of...
View DetailsPhoto Detective: Portraits From Overseas Premium
Here's proof that your immigrant ancestors sent photographs of themselves to family back home. Angelika Tanterl of Munich, Germany, submitted this picture of her great-aunt Pauline with a series of questions. Boy or Girl Q. My great aunt Pauline Scholz was 19 years in 1905, when she moved to the...
View DetailsPhoto Detective: Vintage to Vogue Premium
For years, my mother has said that if you wait long enough, an older style will come back in vogue. Now that my daughter chooses to wear 1960s styles, I believe her. This is one challenge of trying to interpret clothing in photographs. Styles not only resurface, but they also...
View DetailsPhoto Web Sites Premium
More Web sites and message boards dedicated to photographs are appearing every month. They provide a great opportunity to reconnect with lost pictures and distant relatives or to post your request on a bulletin board for the whole world to see. There are basically four types of Internet-based resources...
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