How to Learn about Old Family Photos

It's so sad to see a box of vintage family pictures that no one knows who's who. Unlabeled photos present a challenge, so you need to play detective to figure out the who, what, where and when that goes with the old photo. Here's how to figure it out.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. If you recognize anything in the picture, use that as a starting point. If you recognize the setting (a room or the outside of a house) then you narrow down the possibilities. If that's great-grandpa's house, then start mentally reviewing your relatives to see if any look vaguely like these people.

2. 

   Even if you know one person in the picture, that helps identify the rest. If that's Aunt Margie, then the fellow with his arm around her might be her first husband that you never met.

3. 

   Try to establish the time period for the picture by looking at clothing styles and any known children in the photo. Bobbed hair, shorter skirts with a dropped waist, and long stockings indicate the 1920s. If you know that one child is Cousin Bobbie, then guess at his age by his size. If he looks to be about ten or twelve, use his current age minus 10 or 12 to get an approximate date for the photo.
   Once you've determined one child in a group photo, it helps you identify the other children. If this is Clyde, then this younger child has to be Howard and the baby must be Charles.

4. 
   Must be Thanksgiving

   If you have several photos with the same people wearing the same clothes, then review them as a group to figure out the event and who's who.

5. 

   If the photo is faded and hard to see the details, scan it into the computer. Use any photo software to enhance the picture or brighten it. In looking at a picture of my mother in her 20s, I thought there were trees in the background. When I brightened the picture on my computer, I realized it was clouds of black smoke, possibly from a prairie fire.

6. Take any labeled photos that you have and compare them with the unknown photos. Look for similar backgrounds, and similar clothing and hair cuts. If this is Aunt Bertha, then probably this lady is her again but thirty years later.

7. 

   Take advantage of older relatives' memories. Take your unidentified photos to a family reunion or make a personal visit to Great-Aunt Viola with them. In some cases, you can email the photo to a distant relative and ask for their help identifying the person and place.

[bestmommy]

on 11/11/2009 Excellent advice on how to learn about old family photos. We recently put together a slide show for my in-laws 50th anniversary and it was difficult at times to identify who, what, when and where. Enlisting the help of other family members was crucial to the success of our project.

[paulusgrandis]

on 10/14/2009 Such an important article!! Very informative information about old family photos!! Thanks so much for sharing!! 5* and rec'd!

[gailM]

on 10/12/2009 I really want to do one about what to look for in old photos but can't get it organized for eHow

[veryirie]

on 10/12/2009 Wonderfully written. Excellent advice which I will put to good use. Thank you!

[bossypants]

on 9/13/2009 Such a wealth of wise advice! I inherited a lot of mystery photos. I am hanging on for any clue! I will go back to them with your article! Thanks!