Photos
Photos
Giant Grasshopper Mystery Photo—Solved!
Our Photo Detective Maureen A. Taylor cracks the case of this mysterious photo and uncovers a fascinating historical tale of one man's hobby.
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Photo Restoration of Which Man is It
Last week I discussed the details in Lois O'Malley's photo of a crayon portrait and asked if someone could try to digitally restore it. I love the genealogy community! A woman named Shirley volunteered to see if she could restore the picture. Here's version three of the...
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Family Resemblances in Old Photos: Who Is This Man?
Last week I discussed how to care for a badly damaged photograph, and showed an image Lois O'Malley photographed back in 2005. Lois wrote: "As soon as I saw the man in the photo he minded me of my grandfather, William Alexander Simmons (1873-1934)." He's seen here: Her Dad's...
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Preserving My Family Photographs
When I decided to write a book on preserving photographs, I needed examples. For months I visited antique shops and photo shows looking for really damaged pictures. As you might expect, there was no shortage of problem images. As the oldest child, I've inherited our family photo collection...
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The Story Behind Unknown Faces in Photos
Last week, I featured Julie Magerka's genealogical photo mystery. As you know, I believe that every photo tells a story. By piecing together the clues present in a photo—photographer's imprint, props, faces, clothing and photographic format—you can let that photo talk. Even if you can't identify...
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Identifying Unknown Faces in Old Photos
Over the years, a lot of you have sent me emails talking about a "picture moment." Genealogists are taught to look at census records, city directories and vital records, but if you read this column then you know that a photo can trigger a genealogical response. Gazing at an...
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Genealogy Fashions: Is Your Ancestor’s Hat Back in Style?
Fashion is looking back not merely to the 1970s, but all the way to the 1920s and even 1880s, at least as far as hats are concerned. Last Sunday's New York Times fashion supplement featured advertisements showing old-fashioned-looking hats by designers Louis Vuitton and Donna Karan. Even the Bloomingdale's ad...
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Props in Old Family Photos
Don't you just love it when family history artifacts pop up in family photos? This is exactly what happened for genealogist Dorothy Jackson Reed. In 2007, she became the owner of a Book of Worship with the name Mary K. Fricke embossed in gold on the cover. According to the...
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It’s a Family Reunion
Have you ever been to a family reunion? I'm writing this from my husband's reunion. It's an every-other-year event that's been held since the mid-20th century. There's a lot of debate about when the first one was held. Here are two observations: The coordinator is an...
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History Highlight: The 1908 Olympics
With the world's focus on the Olympics, it's time to think about the athletes in your family. There's a family story related to my husband's grandfather: It's said he was asked to play baseball with the Boston Red Sox, but his father forbade it. His father had other plans for...
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