Clues in a Civil War Era Photo
Winston Cochrane sent in this adorable photo of a mother and daughter. Mary Meaux and her daughter Nannie M. Cochrane posed for this image, which shows the close connection between the two. Winston would like to know if the daughter is wearing a wedding dress. She married in Louiseville, Ky...
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Photo Detective: Dating and Identifying People in Old Family Photos Premium
Uncovering clues in historical photos. This issue: Billiards players outside an Oklahoma pool hall.
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Photo Album Mystery: Whose Granddad is It?
Photo albums are always interesting to look at. You can find almost anything tucked into a album: I've seen locks of hair, swatches of fabric, colorful scraps of paper, postcards, family photos, and images of friends and famous folk. Most times it isn't clear as to who's who...
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Identifying and Preserving Daguerreotype Photos Premium
The invention of the daguerreotype 175 years ago let our ancestors capture their own likenesses. Learn how to preserve and identify these pieces of the past.
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Old Family Photos on Postcards
Frieda Tata submitted this lovely photo of two women and a girl for some advice. She knows the young woman on the right is her grandmother Mae Davis (born 1888 in Brownwood, Mo.). This is a photo postcard. One of the most common questions about...
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Photo Detective: Old Lumber Camp Photo Premium
What clues did our Photo Detective uncover in this old lumber camp photo, featuring early photo-editing.
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The Marsteller Old-Photo Mystery
Last week I outlined the mystery of the Ralph Marsteller photo. This week I'm back with more details. Let's start with some basics. What are they wearing?Clothing clues can be very helpful, BUT it's important to remember that there were lots of different styles every season and...
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Foreign Photos in the Family Album
This week I'm at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference. It's a huge event with folks attending from all over the globe. I love the international atmosphere and especially like looking at photographs taken around the world. Photos taken in foreign lands can be particularly challenging. Instead of...
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A Southern Photo Mystery
The story of a photograph is so much more than its simple details. This is a carte de visite (CDV) image. The mounted size of a CDV is 2.125 x 3.5 inches. The slight oval shadow on this picture signifies it was once in an album...
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