Archiving valuables and keepsakes is a perpetual problem for the family historian. This may be even more true for the family member who is not a “genealogists” or “family historian” but finds themselves the keeper of the family’s history and heirlooms. Important questions arise, such as the following: What should I actually archive? Should I [...]
Photography, like any other “technology” has advanced in many distinct ways over it nearly 200 years of existence. In 1839 the commercial use of photography became a reality, and many different methods were tried and used to create permanent images. From metal and glass to paper and film, and ultimately digital media, the process for [...]
Wilbur Hanson Kalb shared a most fascinating link with me last evening. It seems that Reader’s Digest is running a feature titled “Mothers in Hiding” in celebration of Mother’s Day in its May 2013 issue. As Mr Kalb points out, “In the 1840s and 1850s (not the 1820s, as Reader’s Digest claimed), when photography was [...]
This weekend, Patty and I, with the help of grandson Robby (age 4), and Tucker (our lab – age 5) spent what seemed like unending hours loading a large trailor with yard & garden debris, as well as tree trimmings. Using two chain saws, and two sets of loppers, we cut and disposed of more [...]
Lately I have seen a big increase in the number of quick-reference guides published on a variety of topics. In two and four-page laminated layouts, these guides are easy to carry, are durable, and generally water resistant. In addition, they tend to be colorful, easy to understand and follow, and cover a wide range of [...]
From scanner or camera, digital images, namely photographs, have become a part of everyday life. Even older photographs, on paper or film, are commonly converted to digital format. Documents, letters, notes, books, and just about anything else on paper can be scanned and preserved in digital format. This include vital records. Opinions vary widely on [...]
The following teaser is from an article in the April 4, 2013 edition of the New York Times: Among the most arresting images in “Photography and the American Civil War,” a magisterial exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is “A Burial Party, Cold Harbor, Virginia, April 1865” by John Reekie. The remains of five [...]
Maureen Taylor, “The Photo Detective,” is a recognized expert in historical photography. She is known for her ability to study photographs for the historical clues that tell stories about the people and events portrayed in the images. Maureen has been featured many times in print and has even appeared on The View, Martha Stewart Living, [...]
Phototree.com™, the leader in delivering historical photograph information to genealogists and collectors, unveiled at the RootsTech 2013 conference their latest book titled 19th Century Card Photos KwikGuide™, A Step-by-Step to Identifying and Dating Cartes de Visite and Cabinet Cards. Written for the experienced and novice genealogists or historian, this book guides the reader through the [...]
Gary Clark, author of Photo Restoration KwikGuide and owner of PhotoTree.com, has produced a new set of guides, called KwikTips, to help researchers identify and date 19th century family photos. Use these guides to identify an image type and an approximate the date of its production. Knowing how to type and date a photograph is [...]
Photography was still in its infancy when the Civil War began. Capturing a single image involved staging a camera, the mixing of chemical, the use of fragile glass plates, and other long and intensive processes just to produce a single print. However, the business of photography was growing rapidly, and the war did introduce to [...]
Illustrated tip sheets that help researchers date historical and family photographs. February 6, 2013, Carlsbad, CA. Phototree.com™, the leader in delivering historical photograph information to genealogists and collectors has released the first in a series of laminated KwikTips™ that give genealogists and historians an easy‐to‐use, yet comprehensive source to help achieve accurate date analysis of [...]
February 6, 2013, Carlsbad, CA. Phototree.com™, the leader in delivering historical photograph information to genealogists and collectors, has released their latest book titled Photo Restoration KwikGuide™, A Step‐by‐Step Guide for Repairing Photographs with Photoshop Elements®. Written for the experienced and novice users of Elements, this book guides the reader through the steps used to restore [...]
Last week we looked at a great webinar on CD from our own Leland Meitzler: Chasing Women: Finding Your Female Ancestors. This webinar is just one of many great webinars available from Legacy Family Tree. Their series of webinars, presented by professional genealogists, provide expert advice on areas from traditional genealogical research to make use [...]
Still looking for the perfect gift for your favorite genealogists, or perhaps a little something for your own genealogy library, then here is a book for you: When it comes to your ancestor’s photographs, has the fat lady sung her last? Do you feel that there is little to nothing more you can gain from [...]
