How To Determine the Date of an Old Photograph
If you hold up two photographs right now, one black-and-white photo and one colored image, you could identify yourself or others in the colored image and maybe know who the people are in the black-and-white picture. However, it's not easy, and being able to tell who is in the image and when the photo was taken takes time to develop. Find out how to determine the date of an old photograph here.
Identify the Photograph Type
You likely have an array of photograph types in your treasure trove of pictures. Identifying every person could be challenging, but you need to dig deeper to learn how old an image is by studying its type. There are five types to know:
Daguerreotype (1840-1860)
Ambrotype (1854-1868)
Tintype (1856-1878)
Carte de Visite (1859-1889)
Cabinet cards (1866-1903)
These image types were once popular styles of photographs. Here is a brief history behind each image type to help you identify what your photo is.
Daguerreotype
The daguerreotype emerged during the first development of photography, named after Louis Daguerre, a French artist and photographer. Daguerre and another inventor, Nicephore Niepce, collaborated in the 1830s to create this concept. They theorized that they could capture a permanent still image by shining light onto a silver iodide-coated copper plate through a camera and then covering the image with fixed mercury vapor and iodized salt.
You can tell a photo is a daguerreotype by examining it for a mirror-like surface. You can see the negative and positive appearances when viewing the picture from different angles and lighting. Given the age, these photos are sensitive and should be handled carefully.
Tintype
A rather popular style back in the mid-1800s, the tintype photography style goes by two other familiar names: melainotype and ferrotype. At a point, the tintype was a formal style, but it eventually made its way to festivals, where photographers used props and backgrounds of landscapes. However, the popularity fizzled once ambrotype began circulating.
Ambrotype
The ambrotype utilizes the wet collodion process, creating a positive image on glass. Unknown photographers made these photographs, and families didn't leave identifying marks for the person in the picture. Much like the daguerreotype, they remained sealed in folding cases due to their fragile nature.
Cabinet Cards
You may have these photo types hanging on your cabinet right now. Look closely, and you'll see the rounded edges fit perfectly against the grain of the cabinet door. But how did it fit perfectly? After taking the family's portrait picture, the photographer placed the images onto heavy cardstock to prevent the photographs from curling.
Families used cabinet cards in sitting rooms for display purposes. Sometimes they used them as funeral cabinet cards as well. Funeral homes display portraits of the deceased in parlors. Back in the 19th and 20th centuries, funeral cabinet cards had beautiful decorations, but this was exclusive to high-profile funerals. Now, funeral homes provide ornamental funeral cabinet cards to every family in memory of their deceased loved one.
Carte de Visite
The carte de visite was the predecessor of cabinet cards, but smaller. These cards fit in the palm of your hand and were about the size of a typical trading card. Popular during the American Civil War, these photos were popular to buy because they were inexpensive to produce.
Families spent time sending and trading different pictures back and forth. Images of unrelated family members in your photo collection might make sense because your ancestors exchanged them with others, like trading cards.
Examine the Fashion Worn by the People in the Picture
With a bit of background of the photo styles, you can move on to the fashion worn during the time of the taken image. If you don't know much about fashion, your journey of deciphering an ancestor's outfit may come to a brief halt. However, working with a group of professional archivists can help you narrow down the exact date of an old photograph.
So many ancestors are dressed up in their pictures because having their photo taken was a special occasion that, unlike today, was expensive and rare to have done. Looking at an image from circa 1880, you can note the fabric styles were ruffles, pleats, and drapes for women. At this time, women also sported boots and bonnets. Men in the 1880s wore dark suits. They typically included a top hat and a long trench coat.
Look at the Hairstyles in the Image
The other clue to look for is hairstyle. Not only did they focus on their outfits, but your ancestors most likely fixed their hair to look good for their photo session. Look at how an ancestor parts their hair, pins it, or has it cut. These small details can tell you what era they had their picture taken.
Check for Markings or Names on the Photo
Despite most photographs being anonymous—think ambrotype in this case—there are things you can look for to determine who is in the picture and when it was taken. The first step is always to check the photo backing for marks or names. You can sometimes tell who an individual is by their handwriting. Sometimes a relative's name may not be there, but the photographer's or their studio's name is. In that case, research the photographer and when they took pictures; that can reflect the image's era.
Find Out How Your Family Member, Friend, or Stranger Got the Photo
There are those instances where you stumble across an ancestor's photo from a friend, family member, or stranger. You might even wonder how they obtained it, and there might be archivists who shrug and do not know how they got the photos. Some may even want to ensure you have the photos back.
If you are ever curious about how someone obtained a photo of your relative, ask them; they might be wondering the same thing if you are one of theirs. Take this time to get to know each other's stories; there might even be a connection between two relatives who had a relationship generations back. Take the time to look at additional photographs in family photo albums as well; some might have a blank spot where the photo belongs.
Identify Every Person in the Photograph Even if They Aren't Related
Are you having trouble identifying family members? That’s a common issue, especially when attempting to knock down genealogy brick walls. The best thing here to do when determining the age of a photo is to identify every person, including those unrelated to you. Think about posting your findings to genealogy search pages to help identify the person in the picture and determine an old photograph's date. A family member is likely searching for an image of their third great-grandparent, and you could happen to have it.
Everyone has family photos, even with unrelated subjects. Digitizing any of these images is the best way to avoid losing them. Digitizing allows you to look at and share digital photo files online and with family members so that they can connect a name to a face. At DiJiFi, our digital transfer services will preserve those memories to allow you to identify your ancestors more easily.
