A Blast From My Past
Last week after writing the column on photo storytelling I decided to take my own advice and browse through all the family photos I scanned last summer. I looked at pictures of my Mom as a young child and saw pictures of my own childhood. All of a sudden I...
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Photo Detective: The Plot Thickens Premium
It’ll take more than just visual clues to learn the story that lies behind the scenes of this theatrical image.
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Photo Storytelling
The holiday season is nearly upon us! It's a time of year I associate with food, family and friends, but it's also storytelling season. One of the traditions in my family is looking at old pictures—not just those taken a century ago, but those considered "old" by the kids in...
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Family Stories: A Photo at a Time
Sharon Pike wrote to me with a question about the clothing on the children in this photo, "Do you think the photographer brought clothing as props for the children?" It's a really common query. In her e-mail, along with her question, was the story of this family. Since...
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Photo Sites: Read the Fine Print
Yesterday's New York Times featured an article, Guardians Of Their Smiles, on the uses and abuses of photo sites. In it, a woman had posted baby pictures to Flickr without using the privacy settings, and later discovered that someone had used her daughter's pictures on a social networking site in...
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Which Generation is it?
There are photos that just drive you CRAZY. Ronald E. Wade is a very dedicated genealogist, but this image has him confused. His relative Mary Beulah Petty gave him all her pictures and that's great. Ronald has a fantastic picture history of his family thanks to her, but there's one...
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Texas Trouble: Readers Respond
It's been three weeks since the first post on the photos of two Texas men with mysterious decorations on their shirts. In the second column, I really didn't have much to add, but since then, readers have sent in their suggestions/comments. Here's the latest news. The Smith County Historical Society...
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Snapshot of the Past: 1937
Does a single snapshot tell a story? I think it does. Take for instance this glimpse of circa 1937. Cynthia Wilson sent in this picture of two of her uncles with an unidentified man in overalls. She wants to know if the man in...
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Texas Mystery Photo Puzzle: No News
No news ....is not good news in this case. A week ago I posted the Two Texas Mysteries column with the hope that someone out there would be able to shed some light on these two pictures. Nope! Not a word. I received an email from David Lintz of the...
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Two Texas Mysteries
Take a good look at these photos from Peggy Batchelor Hamlett. I can date them, but I'm still working on identifying the symbolism on the men's shirts shirts. Pictorial Evidence: The design of the mat for the above image suggests it was taken in the 1860s...
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