Comments on: Dating Old Photographs – The Clues that Tintypes Hold, 1890

By: Forgotten New England

Forgotten New England — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:05:01 +0000

Thanks – great (and very interesting/engaging) post about the history of photographs! I’ve added your link to the comments on this post. Thank you for the follow too!

By: Kathryn Gargolinski

Kathryn Gargolinski — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:59:09 +0000

Fascinating post! If you’re interested in more about the history of tintypes, daguerreotypes, and ambrotypes, we posted a brief history of these three types of early photography on the Skinner Antiques and Fine Art Auctions Blog:
http://www.skinnerinc.com/blog/2011/10/daguerreotypes-ambrotypes-tintypes-the-rise-of-early-photography.php
You can see some great examples of early photography in this post.

By: Forgotten New England

Forgotten New England — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:22:35 +0000

Yes, sometimes, sitting back and analyzing an old photo is one of the most interesting aspects to genealogy as a hobby. I agree that the photographs showing only men are more difficult to date – there are some subtle differences in the suits they wear, but these are harder to notice than the differences in women’s fashion. I find facial hairstyles to be the best clue in men. My two oldest family photographs show 2nd-great-grandfathers as middle-aged men, both dating to the 1870′s. One is pretty easy to date because it shows his youngest son, born in 1873, as a toddler. I have a positive identification on the other; he’s wearing a chinstrap beard. Those started to go out of fashion around 1870 or so.

By: Karen K

Karen K — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:19:48 +0000

Great post, as usual. Fashions changed in the 19th century just as they did in the 20th. The changes were more subtle, though, and we’re just not as familiar with the fashions of former centuries as we are with the 20th and 21st (please make skinny jeans– especially on guys– disappear!)

I’m no expert, but I can tell a photo that was taken in the 1860′s from one that was taken in the 1880′s. It’s easier with women than with men, though, and hairstyles are a good clue. In the early 1880s, for example, curled bangs became popular.

I know what you mean about people wearing out of date hairstyles– I still see some women with the “wings” that haven’t been in style since Charlie’s Angels was on prime time.

Good catch with the photo comparison– I would definitely think that the photos were taken on the same day, and that the woman is the child’s mother.