DATING OLD PHOTOGRAPHS

Learning Outcomes

• Appreciate early days of photography

• Recognise evidence for dating

photographs

• Recognise value of family photographs

Early days of photography

• Niepce – first to succeed in producing a

picture from his attic window in 1827

• Daguerre also experimenting, sought out

Niepce – went into partnership

• Niepce died in 1833

• In 1839 Daguerre developed the process

known as Daguerrotype

Next steps

• William Henry Fox Talbot also working on

images, had achieved results from 1835

• His home was Lacock Abbey

• Now National Trust, museum in there on

Talbot’s work

• Whole village of Lacock belongs to NT

Summary of early experiments

• Three pioneers:

• Niepce 1827

• Daguerre 1829

• Talbot 1835

studios

• Early studios facing north to avoid sunlight

• Often on top floor

• Subject placed on a chair on a revolving

platform

• Sitter had to remain perfectly still

• Could be held in place by a head-clamp

• Had to ‘freeze’ for 2 minutes

Visiting cards

• By 1850’s the visiting card with photo became a craze

• Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were photographed in carte format

• Everyone wanted one and to appear themselves

• Prices dropped

• Photos became within the reach of common man

Cartes de visite

Francis Frith

• Views began to appear in photos

• 1860 – Francis Frith began his work

• Over 40,000 glass negatives

• These views began to appear in postcards

• United States were sending postcards

from 1867

• Not allowed in Britain until 1894

Family history

• Postcards of places of interest can be

found quite easily at collectors’ fairs etc.

• Portraits often taken in a studio in postcard

form but not posted

• Did not need to be famous!

• Seaside photographs very popular, these

often have name of resort and date

postcards

assessment

• When did the visiting card become

popular?

• Who was a well-known photographer of

views?

• When were postcards posted in Britain?

• Name the 3 pioneers of early photography

Dating early photographs

• Check the reverse of photograph for studio

name and address

• Check census or trades directories for the

studio

• The 1851 census in London showed 51

commercial photographers; by 1861 the

number had increased to 2,534

Dating old photographs

• Evidence:

• Type of photograph

• Background clues, i.e. props

• Clothes worn by the sitter

• Date studio was in operation

• Possible hand-writing on reverse

• Magnifying glass may give clues

• Likely to identify a period of time rather than precise year

example

• Sitting figure more common in 1850’s and 1860’s

• By the late 1860’s the full-length standing figure became popular

• Background – 1860’s classical look, drapes, columns, arches

• Dress – very full skirt, by 1860’s flatter at front, 1870’s bustle at back

padded out the bustle – one lady found The Times particularly suited to the purpose!

example

• 1860’s – simplicity of hairstyle

• 1870’s – elaborate hair – one firm was

turning out two tons of artificial hair a

week!

• Small hats worn square on head – 1860’s

Group exercise

• Using your dating charts, gather evidence

from the photographs shown

• Write down approximate dates or decades

• Explain how you arrived at your decision!

Further improvements

• Photography now needed a lighter and

more flexible film base

• In 1888 John Carbutt of Philadelphia

began to produce celluloid in a form

suitable for photograhy

• George Eastman designed a purpose-built

box camera to use the film –

• Began to market it – No. 1 Kodak

Improvements

• In 1900 came the box Brownie

• This was named after a pixie-like

character in a popular children’s story

• The Brownie cost a dollar and 100,000

were sold in a year

• Photography now became widely available

Use of photos in family history

• Suggest how you could use photos for

family history purposes

Further reading

• Pols, Robert, DATING OLD

PHOTOGRAPHS, 1992 Fed.of FH

Societies

• Pols, Robert, Photo Detective in FAMILY

HISTORY , November, 2009 p62/63

• http://www.cartes.freeuk.com/time/date

• www.historicaldirectories.org/

Summary of session

• Background of photography

• Evidence used for dating photographs

• How do we value our family photographs

• Comments on presentation, activities and

interest