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...
Read MoreProud Mamas in Old Photos: Finding the Clues
What's the first thing you see when you look at this picture? My eye immediately gravitates to the woman and her slight smile. She's one proud Mama seated with her two children and her husband. Your eye might be drawn to the wicker chairs...
Read MoreDouble-Checking Photo Clues to Solve a Mystery
James Dinan and his wife solved their photo mystery using the resources of the Photo Detective blog archive. You can access it using the navigation on the left. Here's the photo they submitted:It's a group of men gathered for an outing. They call themselves The Fatal Nine Spot, and the...
Read MoreThe Well-Dressed Couple Again and Solving a Group Photo Mystery
Last week I showed you a picture of an unknown well-dressed couple circa 1905. Where there's one unidentified photo there are usually more. That's true for Amir Evenchik's collection of images. He owns several other pictures of the same couple taken a few years later. Unfortunately, no one can identify...
Read MoreWho’s Who in a Photo? Strategies for Finding Out
Last week I discussed Karen Perry's unidentified photo. Today I called her to chat about what she's learned about it since she submitted the image last summer. She told me showed it to a distant relative, who said he recognized the man in the center but couldn't remember...
Read MoreFiguring Out Who’s Family in Old Photos
Do you own one of those photos that nags you with unanswered questions? Karen Perry does. Unlike the rest of the photos in her collection, this lovely family group is completely unidentified. She's asked relatives, but no one knows who they are. Mom and Dad are...
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Photo Storytelling on the Holidays
This week I took another look at all my family photos and was suddenly struck by a realization. My family takes pictures in the spring and summer. There are few images of autumn and fewer still of winter snow. We're warm weather photographers. Documenting This Year's...
Read MoreMore Ancestors at Work: Early 1900s Meat-Cutting Plant
If you've ever read The Jungle (available free on Project Gutenberg), author Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel describing Chicago's meatpacking industry, then you may have tried to imagine what it was like to work in that industry in the early 20th century. Roxanne Munn's photos provide an glimpse into how meat...
Read MoreTwelve Months of the Photo Detective
It's time to look back at the year. Every week I write a Photo Detective blog post—that's 52 columns in 12 months. It's a lot of free photographic advice and tips. Here are my month-by-month 2012 favorites.JanuaryLast New Year's I offered advice on sharing images online, tackled a photo...
Read MoreThe 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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