Photographs capture a moment in time, a moment that begins evaporating just as soon as the shutter releases. Be it seconds, minutes, years, or decades later, that photograph cannot be recreated, because the moment is gone, replaced with the next, which itself disappears into another.
If you've spent any time researching ancestors, or the history of your town, or even history in general, you've likely come across old group photographs. A workplace outing from long ago, an annual gathering of some institution or society, or maybe a family gathering. If you've stared into the faces of those who gathered for…Read more Lost Stories and Found Mysteries: Old Group Photographs
Most family historians have THAT box. The box always looks roughly the same. It's the box that belonged to the toaster your mother had three toasters ago. Or, maybe it's a shoebox for a pair of long-lost boat shoes from Thom McAn or a gift box from Anderson Little (remember them?). Maybe it's a bag…Read more Dating Old Photographs – The Clues that Tintypes Hold, 1890
Question: What was the price of a cup of chicken soup in 1915? Answer: Ten cents a cup. Add some ham and eggs to that, and you should be prepared to part with the Barber quarter and Buffalo nickel burning a hole in your pocket. If you're feeling a little more adventurous or extravagant, you…Read more Dating Old Photographs – The Price of Tea in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1917
