The stories behind the photos
One of the most interesting aspects of photo restoration for me, aside from the restoration process itself, is learning more about the people, places and periods depicted in the images. I enjoy nothing more than uncovering the stories behind the photos, and for that reason, old photographs that consist of more than just a head and shoulders portrait are of particular interest to me. A unique event or occasion that has been well captured for posterity by the photographer encourages you to delve into the past to find out more about it. But it’s not always easy to unearth the story hidden behind the photograph if the information recorded with it is limited - or worse still - non existent.
I have to admit to being the absolute worst culprite when it comes to captioning my own photos and I suppose I tend to feel, “well, I know who it is“. But photographs are transient possessions. Over time a particular photo might be owned, loved, passed on, bought and sold, inherited, lost or found by any number of people. At some point in time it is very likely to come into the possession of someone who doesn’t have first hand knowledge of the people or events captured in it.
Even in old family photos that have remained in the family, the family members depicted in them may often have died long before the person currently in possession of them was born. This is not too much of a problem if there is still a relative alive who would know the names of the people in the photos. You can simply take the photos to them and ask them to identify anyone they recognise. But this is not always an option.
My wife’s grandmother recently celebrated her 99th birthday. She’s a fantastic woman with a insatiable interest in the lives and goings-on of her family and the people around her. She is a fountain of information and facinating stories about people and events stretching back almost a century. However, despite being the oldest member of the family by some 30 years, she is unable to assist in identifying people in the family photos as she can no longer see. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that if you have the opportunity to gather information on your own old family photos you should make the most of it while you can.
Decades of valuable family photo information can be lost when the oldest member of a family passes on. Genealogists struggle with this problem all the time, and we, as restorers of old photos are in the same boat.
Mark.
I have to admit to being the absolute worst culprite when it comes to captioning my own photos and I suppose I tend to feel, “well, I know who it is“. But photographs are transient possessions. Over time a particular photo might be owned, loved, passed on, bought and sold, inherited, lost or found by any number of people. At some point in time it is very likely to come into the possession of someone who doesn’t have first hand knowledge of the people or events captured in it.
Even in old family photos that have remained in the family, the family members depicted in them may often have died long before the person currently in possession of them was born. This is not too much of a problem if there is still a relative alive who would know the names of the people in the photos. You can simply take the photos to them and ask them to identify anyone they recognise. But this is not always an option.
My wife’s grandmother recently celebrated her 99th birthday. She’s a fantastic woman with a insatiable interest in the lives and goings-on of her family and the people around her. She is a fountain of information and facinating stories about people and events stretching back almost a century. However, despite being the oldest member of the family by some 30 years, she is unable to assist in identifying people in the family photos as she can no longer see. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that if you have the opportunity to gather information on your own old family photos you should make the most of it while you can.
Decades of valuable family photo information can be lost when the oldest member of a family passes on. Genealogists struggle with this problem all the time, and we, as restorers of old photos are in the same boat.
Mark.
posted by Mark Wilson | 9:30 PM
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