Photo Detective
Mourning Photograph?
This week's picture comes from the Photo Detective Forum. This is used by folks who want their pictures analyzed for this column, but you can also post a photo-related question. Alissa Booth wrote that someone crossed out the original caption, C.C. Smock's wife and wrote Mother. A little girl...
Read More
Ancestral Vacations
Two things drew me to this picture. First, the owner sent me wonderful background information to tell the story. Second, it’s proof this blog has an international following: Kathryn Larcher submitted this photo from her home in France. There's no mystery about the relative depicted. Kathryn knows the last woman...
Read More
The Plane Truth Revisited
Last year I wrote about Jacqui Marcella's photo of two couples standing in front of an airplane in The Plane Truth. I'm revisiting a few of my older columns to see if I can discover anything new about those pictures. When I looked at this 1920s image I thought, "Why...
Read More
4 Clues in Vintage Halloween Costumes Premium
Don't be scared! There's nothing tricky about gleaning genealogical treats from Halloween photos.
Read More
Hunting for Clues Part Two
For genealogists, it's easy to underestimate the power we yield. If you need proof, think about this: The recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article on The Photo Detective was the number one article read online at the WSJ for a week! This means thousands if not millions of...
Read More
Old-Photo Reunions
I have a friend who has phenomenal family history luck. Around each genealogical corner is another discovery. She goes to libraries and finds new family in almost every book she picks up, posts online queries and actually gets an answer. A couple of years ago she used a...
Read More
Crayon-Enhanced Portrait of a Child
Last week I wrote about Carolanne’s portraits of her relatives Laura Gilman and her husband James Wyatt Weed. Here’s a third, unidentified, picture. Behind each picture is a story, and Caroleann's three portraits are no different. Photo identification techniques can tell you when a person sat for a picture, but...
Read More
Photo Detective in the News
Vintage photo fans, be sure to check out Maureen's appearance in today's Wall Street Journal Weekend Journal section. See part of the article and examples of her work online.Also, on the Genealogy Insider blog, we link to some of Maureen's photo-sleuthing advice for Family Tree Magazine readers.
Read More
Could this happen to your family history treasures?
Before diving into this week’s identification, I have a question for you: Have you specified in your will who’ll receive your heritage photos after you’re no longer here? If not, your relatives could find themselves in a battle. Carolanne, the owner of this week’s photo, has spent 17 years trying...
Read More
Women’s Sleeves Are Clues to Photo Dates
Bill Dodge thinks one of these young women is his paternal grandmother because he found the picture in his father’s belongings. He wonders if it’s a graduation photo and if the girl on the lower right holds a nurses cap. I truly believe each family portrait tells a story about...
Read More