The Ultimate Guide to Dating Your Family Photos
Do you have a pile of old photos, and can't quite figure out when the picture was taken? Anyone who has tried to organize photos , especially vintage pictures, has faced the dilemma of dating photos, whether you are a DIY-er or a trained professional photo organizer.
We asked our colleagues, members of The Photo Managers , to share their tips and tricks for dating problematic photos. Their answers are helpful and eye-opening.
Photo Detective Tools
As you develop your photo detective bag of tricks that is, it's helpful to start with a few tools.
Tips for Dating Print Photos?
Obvious Clues?
If you get lucky, the back of the photo can give clues to location or date. If you are really lucky someone has written down some identifying information (people, place, event, date) for you.? Congratulations, you have just won the photo detective jackpot! However, it's a good idea to take the writing with a grain of salt. I recently found a family photo with 3 people identified on the back. The problem? It was a picture of only 1 person.
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In some cases, a developing date will be printed on the back or on the border on the front. Remember, these printed dates on photos are the date the picture was developed and printed, not the date the photo was taken, but at least it's a starting point.? An obvious example would be Christmas photos dated January 1952 were most likely taken on Christmas of 1951. I have had clients reprint an old scan which then got mixed back into their print collection. The photo was obviously from the 1940s but the developing stamp on the back said May 2015.
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Sometimes the date taken is not so obvious. When we still used actual film in our cameras, many people did not get it developed right away. ? When only 4 or 5 photos were taken at an event, often the film contained several events before it was developed. So just remember the date on the back is the date developed.
Some photos taken on digital cameras and then printed may have date stamps on the front of the printed (or digital) photo. Again take this date with a grain of salt. Just like the blinking clock on a VCR, many people never correctly set the date on their camera.
Physical Clues
Let’s look at the photograph itself. Major developers like Kodak have changed their style over the years and these can be a great clue to the era a photo was developed. You can look at things like the paper on the back of the photo or its size and shape. All can be clues to the developing date of the photo.
Here are some online resources that you can use to identify the age of a print by its type and paper among other characteristics.
Frequently slides will have a date stamped on the paper or plastic mount. But remember that this is the developing date, not the date the photo was taken.
If your photos are in the original developing envelope, check it for dates. This will give you a time when the photo was developed. It may even have an address or phone number of your family member on it which could aid your search.
For professional photographs, research the photographer to find out when they were active, especially for vintage photos. The imprint on the front and the back of the photo can help you narrow down the time frame. (Thank you to Kate Jacus, The Photo Curator for her help compiling this list.)
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Context Clues
Happy Birthday To You
Count the candles on a birthday cake.? Keep in mind that some families “add one for good luck” and some people have multiple birthday parties each year.
Car Hints?
Look for a year on a license plate. What is the make and model of the car? This can help pinpoint decades.
Study the state/province on the license plate and google images for license plates for those years. For example, we found History of Nebraska Passenger Vehicle License Plates and Vehicle Registration plates of Virginia .
What’s in the Background
Use magnifying glass (or your computer’s zoom button) to look for anything in the background that may give clues to the date some ideas are.
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Calendars in the photo will give you a general time frame to consider.
Look at the headlines of newspapers or magazines (or name of paper if trying to pinpoint location) in the photo, then google the headline.
A certain TV show or newscaster on a TV may help you narrow down a date.
Google dates of sporting events by the teams playing on the TV in the background.
Zoom in and look for any hand-written notes, such as the label on a cradle in a hospital nursery.
Location, Location, Location?
In outdoor shots, look for house number or street address, to match with years lived in a location. This is when that family timeline can come in very handy.
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Look at the shape of a door, the finish on the house, the type of porch, the style of windows to match an unknown photo with a known photo or to fit in a known chronology.
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Look for words on advertising signs to pinpoint the location and/or date of a photo.
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Indoor/outdoor seasonal decorations can give hints of the time of year.
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Construction and restoration of major buildings and monuments can give you a time frame in which the photo was taken. Skylines with missing landmark skyscrapers could give hints to date. For example, New York City without the Twin Towers is either pre-1973 or post-2001.
Fashion Details
Hairstyles and clothing can help identify decades in a photo. Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, has some great resources for dating photos of your ancestor based on the fashion and styles of the time.
Pay attention to details like bangs (Suzie got bangs in 3rd grade therefore photos with the bangs are probably 3rd or 4th grade) or braces. They may not give you a specific date, but they can help your general chronology. These are good details to add to your family timeline.
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What’s Going On
If the photo shows a public event (Indy Car race, State Fair, Bon Jovi concert), google the names of the event then look for logos that match yours. That will usually help you find the year, if not the month and day as well.
Mother Nature
Take note of blooming flowers or bare trees. This will give you a clue as to the time of year.
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Other Supporting Documents
If you have other supporting documents such as obituaries and funeral service bulletins, they can give dates of birth, places of residence, family members, and other information that can help identify photos.
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Birthday party invitations with a specific theme (like Spiderman or roller skating) can give you a date when paired with photos showing the same theme.
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Of course, your most valuable resource is a family member (or two) who you can ask about dates, locations, and stories. Ask them before it's too late.
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Some Other Resources
What is your favorite trick or resource for dating photos of your family?
Want to Know More?
If you want to work with a photo organizer near you to help you organize and preserve your photos, contact us or visit The Photo Managers to find one in your area.?
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3 个月Thank you so much for this! I recently acquired a pile of very old photos and this will really help me figure out when, which I can then use to figure out who :)
Certified Photo Organizer | Preserve your Photo Legacy
3 个月Bookmarking this excellent resource! :)
professional (photo) organizer | from chaos to overview | photobook design | timemanagement
3 个月Great work Andi Willis! Thank you for sharing!
This is a GREAT resource for the photo organizing community!