Photos
Photos
Best Resolutions for Scanned Photos and Documents
Take the mystery out of the best size for scanned documents. Here's a quick dpi resolution guide for family photos and other genealogy records.
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Beards and Mustaches: Identifying Facial Hair Styles in Old Photos
Here is a quick overview of the history of facial hairstyles in the United States. From frontier beards to waxed mustaches, here’s what you need to know to identify key clues in your ancestors' facial hair.
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Halloween in Old Photos: Three Clues to Spot
This weekend ghouls, goblins and princesses will ring my doorbell looking for treats. There will also be some movie characters as well such as Darth Vader given the interest in the new film. The choice of costumes at every Halloween reflects what figures are popular at the cinema, on television...
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How to Edit Faded, Spotted and Torn Old Photos Premium
Don’t get stuck with faded, spotted and torn family photos. Learn how to digitally fix these common old-photo flaws.
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Teasing the Clues Out of An Old Photo
Larry Calhoun thinks this is a gathering of either the Benfield or the Calhoun family in western North Carolina. Last week, I discussed how Annie Oakley influenced frontier dress for women. This week, let's study the other clues in the same image and see if they help Larry figure out...
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Annie Oakley and Your Old Photos
What does Annie Oakley have to do with your family photos? More than you think. Larry Calhoun sent a group portrait he thinks was taken in western North Carolina. It could be members of the Calhoun or Benfield family. I took one look and said, "Whoa, that woman...
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Mourners in Old Graveside Photo
This old graveside picture is proof that family photographs are inherited differently in every family. Sometimes the pictures go to the oldest, sometimes the youngest, and sometimes they get scattered among descendants. The same can be true for genealogical information. Huge online genealogy databases like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org...
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Graveside Clues in an Old Photo
Our family photo collections are full of pictures of happy occasions, such as weddings, parties and kids having fun. But sometimes the camera was used to document a sorrowful family history moment. Pam Fisher owns this graveside group portrait from the Shepardson family. She thinks it was taken in southern...
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Crowdsourcing an Identity in an Old Vacation Picture
Alex Jenner of Ipswich, Suffolk, England, bought this photo at a "boot sale." He's fascinated by it and he'd like our help figuring out who posed. Crowdsourcing is a way of spreading information on the internet and trying to find answers through the viral qualities of the web. It...
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What Does It Take to Solve a Mystery?
Bet you're thinking this is a good question. Solving an old photo mystery relies on different things. It all depends on the picture but there are certain family facts that help. Denise Valentine submitted this 20th-century picture. She's unsure who's in the picture but she has some ideas. I...
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