Dating Old Photographs

Marian Pierre-Louis has a love of old photos that stems from her early school days taking photos and developing them in her black and white home darkroom. The days of darkrooms and developing film have been replaced with the ease of digital photography but it hasn't altered Marian's love of photos.

As Marian developed her interest in genealogy and historical research, her old love of photos followed along. Marian has a large collection of personal family photos that is shared with her father and brother. In addition, she has a collection of old photos that she has purchased.

Being able to stare our ancestors in the face can be a powerful experience. Finding the characteristics that have been passed down through many generations can be inspiring.

Unraveling the mysteries of an old photo often adds depth to genealogical research. There are many clues to follow in an photo. The type of photo, the clothing and hairstyles of the people in the photos, as well as the props all provide clues as to the date, location and identification of the people in the photos.

Marian Pierre-Louis offers a lecture "Organizing & Dating your Old Photographs" for libraries, societies, conferences or any organization wishing to share this fun topic with its members.

During the talk your audience will learn what to do with all those boxes of old photographs. Understand what they have and how old it is by learning to identify the type of photo it is. Learn other clues that help identify photos such as hairstyles, clothing and props in the photos. Then learn how to organize the photos by date and type and how to best archive them.

Contact Marian to schedule a talk for your group or organization.