Dating a photo that has been taken relatively recently can be quite easy.
But what can you do with those old family photographs that you know less about? You may not even know who's in them.
Here are some ways to date those photographs.
Some methods are quite easy and straight forward while some require a little research.
To get the most accuracy, use as many of these methods as possible.
First, if you have photos with hand written dates on them, keep in mind that you can't always trust them.
You may need to check its accuracy if you don't know who wrote the note and when they wrote it.
If you know who wrote the dates or notes, and know they were present when the photo was taken, you can probably trust what information was written on the photograph.
Take a good look at both sides of your photo.
If there is any printing, like the name of the photographer, do internet or library research to uncover when/where the photographer's studio was in business.
Use what knowledge you have of your family's history to get ballpark figures of dates.
Knowing when births, marriages, deaths, and other significant events occurred is really handy in uncovering dates.
If you have a photograph of your grandmother as a baby (who you know was born in 1899) being held by her grandmother (who you know died in 1900) the possible dates that the photo could have been taken narrow down pretty quickly.
So do a little research on your family history to find those important dates.
Plus, you'll get to learn about your ancestors.
Are there any objects in the photo that might indicate date? Cars, appliances, architecture, and clothing are all really good ways to date photographs.
Perhaps you have a photo of your grandfather standing proudly next to his brand new car? Look into what kind of car it is to find out when it was manufactured to get a good idea of the date of the photo.
Or do some research into the history of the clothes people are wearing to narrow down your photograph's date.
As photographic technology changed throughout time, a good indicator of date in a photo is what type it is.
*Please note that if your photo is in a case, do not remove it to establish the material on which it was developed.
This could damage your photograph.
* Daguerreotypes were invented around 1837 and popular for about 20 years.
They are photos printed onto metal plates.
They have a highly polished mirrored surface.
They were placed in protective cases.
Ambrotypes were developed on to glass.
They were first seen early in the 1850s and were used for about the next 20 years.
They were, however, overtaken in popularity in the 1860s by tintypes.
They are negative images that, when backed with a dark material, appear to be positive images.
They also had protective cases.
Tintypes, or ferrotypes, were similar to ambrotypes but were developed onto metal instead of glass.
They were first used in the U.
S.
in the mid 1850s and were very popular during the civil war.
They occasionally had protective cases, but didn't always have them because they were so sturdy.
Carte-de-visite (CDV) were small photo cards exchanged between friends.
They were 2-1/8" x 3-1/2".
They became widespread in 1859 and died out in the 1870s.
Cabinet cards were photographs mounted on a thicker card that created a border.
They were 4-1/4"x6-1/2".
They became widespread in the 1870s but reached their most popular in the 1880s.
The last ones were made in the 1920s.
I hope these tips are helpful in dating your photographs.
Your research shouldn't stop there, though.
There is so much information online and in libraries I hope this article was a good starting point to your photography research.
But what can you do with those old family photographs that you know less about? You may not even know who's in them.
Here are some ways to date those photographs.
Some methods are quite easy and straight forward while some require a little research.
To get the most accuracy, use as many of these methods as possible.
First, if you have photos with hand written dates on them, keep in mind that you can't always trust them.
You may need to check its accuracy if you don't know who wrote the note and when they wrote it.
If you know who wrote the dates or notes, and know they were present when the photo was taken, you can probably trust what information was written on the photograph.
Take a good look at both sides of your photo.
If there is any printing, like the name of the photographer, do internet or library research to uncover when/where the photographer's studio was in business.
Use what knowledge you have of your family's history to get ballpark figures of dates.
Knowing when births, marriages, deaths, and other significant events occurred is really handy in uncovering dates.
If you have a photograph of your grandmother as a baby (who you know was born in 1899) being held by her grandmother (who you know died in 1900) the possible dates that the photo could have been taken narrow down pretty quickly.
So do a little research on your family history to find those important dates.
Plus, you'll get to learn about your ancestors.
Are there any objects in the photo that might indicate date? Cars, appliances, architecture, and clothing are all really good ways to date photographs.
Perhaps you have a photo of your grandfather standing proudly next to his brand new car? Look into what kind of car it is to find out when it was manufactured to get a good idea of the date of the photo.
Or do some research into the history of the clothes people are wearing to narrow down your photograph's date.
As photographic technology changed throughout time, a good indicator of date in a photo is what type it is.
*Please note that if your photo is in a case, do not remove it to establish the material on which it was developed.
This could damage your photograph.
* Daguerreotypes were invented around 1837 and popular for about 20 years.
They are photos printed onto metal plates.
They have a highly polished mirrored surface.
They were placed in protective cases.
Ambrotypes were developed on to glass.
They were first seen early in the 1850s and were used for about the next 20 years.
They were, however, overtaken in popularity in the 1860s by tintypes.
They are negative images that, when backed with a dark material, appear to be positive images.
They also had protective cases.
Tintypes, or ferrotypes, were similar to ambrotypes but were developed onto metal instead of glass.
They were first used in the U.
S.
in the mid 1850s and were very popular during the civil war.
They occasionally had protective cases, but didn't always have them because they were so sturdy.
Carte-de-visite (CDV) were small photo cards exchanged between friends.
They were 2-1/8" x 3-1/2".
They became widespread in 1859 and died out in the 1870s.
Cabinet cards were photographs mounted on a thicker card that created a border.
They were 4-1/4"x6-1/2".
They became widespread in the 1870s but reached their most popular in the 1880s.
The last ones were made in the 1920s.
I hope these tips are helpful in dating your photographs.
Your research shouldn't stop there, though.
There is so much information online and in libraries I hope this article was a good starting point to your photography research.