A picture can paint a thousand words – and never is that more true than when it comes to old family photographs. However, as pictures are passed down through generations, it’s easy for stories of the people in photographs to become lost or fragmented.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to help understand your old photographs – and it’s often an incredibly rewarding journey to go on, too. Everything from clothing and backgrounds to photograph style and format can offer valuable clues into the history of old photographs, sometimes also providing key insights into your family tree.
With that said, here are five steps to take to help you understand your old photographs.
1. Bring old photographs together
Old photographs are often scattered throughout cupboards, attics, photo albums, and amongst family members. So, to begin with, it’s likely that you’ll need to spend some time gathering your collection from different avenues.
To make the most of this, Find My Past recommends contacting more distant relatives, too, as you never know what photos they may be holding onto.
It’s also worth noting that family photographs can sometimes be found in public collections – including local archives, old newspapers, record offices, and dedicated photographic archives. You could even get lucky and find pictures of your ancestors in local history books!
If you’re using old photographs to explore your family tree, this can be a great time to collect other resources, too. Check out our article, 10 ways to help trace your family tree, to learn more.
2. Organise photographs into categories
Once you’ve gathered a collection of old photographs, it’s time to get organising. The key here is to arrange your photographs in a way that’s easiest for you to find, share, analyse, and understand them.
There are various ways to organise your photographs and the right system for you will largely come down to personal preference and photo type. You could organise collections by size, format, generation, event, or theme – or categorise them geographically or chronologically. Investing in photo storage boxes, index cards, and labels can also be helpful.
If you’ve collected any new photographs during your search – for example, from a public collection – remember to note where they came from. Photograph ownership history is key for accurate identification and you’ll likely thank yourself later for keeping a record!
Check out this guide to organising old family photos from Abby Murphy Photo for more ideas.
3. Consider digitising your photographs
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of photographs you have, you might like to consider digitising them. This way, they can be sorted into online albums.
Digital photographs are easier to share with others and add notes to – plus, you’ll have them stored safely online if anything happens to the print versions. Editing software can also help get rid of creases or other physical damage.
According to Kodak, the three main ways to digitise photographs are by scanning photos at home, using a smartphone photo-to-digital scanning app, or sending photos to a professional service. Using a photo scanning app on your phone is arguably the easiest (and cheapest!) method, but can be time-consuming.
For more information on the different options, check out Shotkit’s guide to the four best ways to digitize photos. Or, check out this guide to digitising old photos with your phone from Wired.
Top tip: If you’re borrowing scanned photos belonging to relatives or other contacts, remember to always request a scan of both the front and back of the photograph. It’s common for important historical evidence, such as place and time, to be recorded on the back.
4. Sharpen and enhance digital photographs
Once you’ve gathered digital copies of your photographs, Find My Past recommends trying some simple editing or having them professionally enhanced to reveal potentially hidden details. For example, wedding rings and location details can be somewhat hazy in original copies.
To start with, you might like to try some simple editing tools or consider having your photos professionally enhanced. PhotoShop is many people’s go-to software, but there are various other options – such as GIMP, which is free to use. There are plenty of free tutorials available on YouTube to help you get started if you’re unsure how to use your chosen software.
For example, check out this video guide to sharpening images with GIMP.
5. Combine methods to accurately date your photographs
Once you’ve gathered and organised your collection of old photographs, the next step is to try dating them.
There are several methods that can be used to get a better understanding of a photo’s date and context. According to experts, combining these methods is often the most effective approach. We’ll cover some of these below.
Ask family members and look for written clues
If you have living family members or relatives with potential connections to photographs, it’s worth asking them for help understanding your photographs first. Even if they don’t have personal connections, they may still be able to offer useful insights into the fashions or locations shown.
It might seem obvious, but when attempting to date photographs it’s also important to check carefully for written clues.
For example, if the photographer’s studio name is present, you may be able to narrow it down to a specific time period by researching when the photographer was active. Check out this list of resources for researching historical photographers from The Royal Photographic Society for further guidance.
Handwritten notes, such as names, locations, or events, can also offer hints and clues. Even simple words can be helpful in forming the next steps of your investigation.
Consider the format of your photograph
Different types of photographs have been used throughout history, so learning about various photographic formats can be helpful. Examples include daguerreotypes, albumen prints, ambrotypes, and tintypes.
First, consider how the photograph is surrounded and housed. For example, according to the National Archives, if it’s in a protective case, this may suggest it’s an ambrotype or daguerreotype and was likely taken before the 1880s. Meanwhile, pairs of photographs mounted next to each other on a card are likely to be stereoscopic and dated between the 1860s and 1930s.
Check out this guide to different photographic processes from the Victoria and Albert Museum to learn more.
Look at the print material of the photograph
Much like the display and format of a photograph, its print material and any supporting structures can also offer clues about when it was taken. From metal and glass to paper and plastic, different materials have been used to print or lay photographs throughout history.
For example, according to the National Archives, metal was used in very early processes – including in daguerreotypes, which were invented in 1839 and remained common until the 1860s. Daguerreotypes are made on sheets of silver-plate copper and have a distinct, highly reflective mirror-like surface.
Tintypes, on the other hand, mounted on thin tin sheets, were introduced in 1856, much later than daguerreotypes, and were common up until the 1920s. Paper remains the most common material used to print photographs – used from 1839 until today.
To learn more, check out this introduction to photographic processes from the New York Public Library.
Consider the fashion of people in the photograph
If your photographs are of people, looking at what they’re wearing can help to work out when they might have been taken.
From hats and hairstyles to jewellery and outer garments, there are plenty of clues to look for – with female fashion often being the most insightful! Other things, such as uniforms and medals, can also help with narrowing down the time frame of a photograph.
To learn more, check out Find My Past’s guide to historical fashion in family photos.
Check the colour tone of an image
Colour tone, when used alone, can be a misleading tool for dating photographs. However, it can be useful when combined with other methods – particularly for photographs printed on a paper support.
According to the National Archives, clues to look out for include…
- Warm image tones, which are typical of photographs dating from the 1860s to 1910s.
- Cyanotypes, which can be distinguished by their deep blue colour and were common from 1842 until the 1950s.
- Neutral black and white image tones, which are more common in photographs dating from the late 1890s to the present day.
Analyse the photograph’s surface
Looking at a photograph from various angles under a light source can help to reveal clues about how it was made.
According to the National Archives, the very first photographs on paper (1840-1855) didn’t have a reflective layer added on top of the paper. However, photographs became less matte with the introduction of albumen (egg white) in 1860, which was applied to paper to create a smooth, glossy surface and sharper, more detailed images.
Then, from the 1880s onwards, additional layers, including collodion and gelatine, made photo surfaces even glossier; before matte surface photographs came back into fashion during the late 1890s. Hand colouring, which was used in many 19th-century photographs to enhance images or for artistic purposes, can sometimes be present, too.
Family History Daily’s guide to different 19th-century photo types has more information on surface characteristics to look out for. A magnifying glass or a small loupe can be useful for analysing the surface of photographs in more detail.
Look for signs of deterioration
Image deterioration, such as fading and yellowing, is common in most 19th and 20th-century photographs – particularly those made on paper. However, where this deterioration takes place can differ depending on the photograph’s format.
For example, salted paper prints (1840-1855) often show fading on lighter areas of the image; while green-brown marks are a sign of deterioration found only on daguerreotypes (1839-1860).
Head to the National Archives website for more information on what to look for.
Final thoughts…
Not only are old family photographs wonderful heirlooms, but, with the right historical context, they can be transformed into important visual documents. Often, taking the time to understand your old photographs can take you on an exciting journey into your family’s past.
For further reading, head over to the art and culture section of our website. Here you’ll find information on everything from researching your family tree to arts and crafts.
Have you taken steps to organise your old photographs? Do you have any more tips that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.