THE RISE OF BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY

After the turn of the twentieth century, photography became a popular pastime and grew steadily. George Eastman founded the new age of photography with black-and-white snapshots. Brownie box cameras were easy to use and cheap to buy, and they were the beginning of a new way for people to try their hand at taking photographs. In 1900, a quarter of a million Kodak Brownie cameras sold for one dollar each. 

With simple cameras in the hands of more people, photography studios and traveling photographers faced stiff competition. Eventually, traveling photographers fell out of favor. However, photography studios gained popularity; today, they are big business. 

Autochrome photographs were taken from 1904 to the late 1930s. They are identified by their shades of gray and sepia tones. They may appear faded and have hard-to-identify backgrounds and details. Use care when handling these old photos, as they are incredibly fragile. 

During the early years, color photography remained a commercial undertaking for trained photographers only. Color paper prints were produced from 1941 to the present. The Kodak Company introduced Kodachrome 16mm movie film in 1935, and negative film became available from Kodak in 1941. Eventually, Polaroids became popular due to the ability to snap a photo and wait while it developed inside the camera. 

From 1948 to about 1965, many early cameras used roll film. Different types of film produce photos of various sizes. Many of those types of films were discontinued in the last few years. 

As the years passed and we entered the twenty-first century, photography became a popular and unique hobby and a profitable business. Digital photography is one of the most-loved ways to take family photographs. 

Today’s cameras are high-tech devices offering multiple advanced features that guarantee amateurs a perfect photograph. Photographers can do it all: preview the shots as they go and discard the bad ones, shoot an endless number of pictures, save and store them on small SD cards, upload them to computers, and print their prized possessions.  

The old black-and-white and color photographs are usually the basis of family photograph collections. They certainly are in my collections. Since these prints often fade in time, the best way to preserve them before they disappear is to scan all your photographs to media storage and keep the originals in a dark, low-humidity environment. 

  Photo storage includes websites where you can upload all your photographs and retrieve copies of them whenever you need to do so. The Cloud is a popular online storage system today. There are also multiple websites to help you create photo books. You upload your photos to the website, and they create beautiful photo albums for you that are mailed to your home. 

Family researchers often digitize their photographs and share them with family members on media such as CDs, flash drives, and camera cards. This is the new era of photography, and it will only get better as time goes by. 

All family photograph collections have torn, faded, cracked, and worn pictures. Besides taking your photos to a specialist who can restore them to their original likeness, you can purchase computer software to help you do it yourself. Adobe Photoshop Elements is one of them. Other programs are available as downloads, which you can install yourself. Do your research and talk with people who own such software before you make your decision. They can be pricey.

The old black-and-white and color photographs are the bulk of my family photograph collection. They are dear to my heart. In most of them, I can identify everyone in the picture, and due to the date given on the picture, I have a possibility of when it was taken. However, beware of using the date stamped at the bottom or side of the photograph to date the time the picture was taken because people waited, sometimes for years, before they took their film rolls in to be developed! 

This is the end of the photography blog series. There is much information about photography on the Internet, and remember to check out the books dedicated to learning photography! 

             

Picture Postcards Are Family Treasures

 Postcards have been around since 1861, and there are several different types. Vintage postcards are highly collected by fans. Deltiologists who study and collect postcards are serious about their collections. Libraries, historical and genealogical societies, other organizations, and private individuals collect them. Antique and vintage postcards can be purchased from online dealers, flea markets, antique stores, and private collections. 

For our purposes, we will talk about real photograph postcards or RPs. Around 1900, photography had grown into a popular hobby for many people, and the latest craze was sending a postcard with a photograph printed on the back. These are called real photograph postcards; the word “real” was used to explain that the postcard started as a photographic negative. They were reproduced by developing them onto photographic paper, using the size and weight of postcards with a postcard backing.  

In the beginning, postal service regulations required no writing on the address side of postcards. In 1907, the regulations changed so that the postcards had a dividing line where the address could be written on the right side and a message on the left side. This is called the divided-back era.

This is a photo of the back of my picture postcard from my great-grandmother in 1912. The stamp is almost worn off. Author photograph collection. 

From about 1915 to 1930, to save ink, most postcards were printed with a white border, also called “White Border Postcards.” After 1930, the new printing processes used colored ink and a high rag substance that gave a linen-like finish to the photographs. This process, called the Linen Era, lasted until about 1944. 

 After 1944, known as the Photochrome Era, real photographic postcards declined and gave way to the postcards we know today as the tourist-type cards we send while on vacation. 

Here is a brief guide if you own real photo postcards and need help to date them. This information only includes some things you need to know about identifying and dating them. There is a lot of information on the Internet on how to identify and date them. 

First, check the stamp price in the stamp box on the card. Postal rates steadily rose over the years. The stamp price for mailing cards between 1898 and 1917 was one cent. It rose to two cents from 1917 to 1958. From 1958 to 1962, it cost three cents; from 1963 to 1967, postage rose to four cents. From 1968 to May 1971, the cost rose to a nickel. 

Very little of the one-cent stamp is left on this picture postcard, dated 1912. Author photograph collection.

If your photo postcard has no stamp attached, check the border around the stamp box on the postcard. If the postcards were produced on Kodak paper, known as “AZO,” they had unique borders during special years. From 1904 to 1918, some borders had four triangles pointing up. From 1907 to 1909, the stamp box border had diamonds in the corners. From 1918 to 1930, some borders had two triangles pointing up and two pointing down. From 1922 through 1926, borders might have empty corners. Finally, from 1926 through the 1940s, the stamp box borders had squares in the corners. 

 Please note that other papers can be used to produce real photo postcards, and I am using the most popular, AZO. 

This is my cherished picture postcard with my beloved great-grandmother holding her son. Author photograph collection. 

Ancestry.com has an extensive photograph collection on its website. It offers real photograph postcards of people, hometowns, cities, homes, historic places, and businesses. As of this writing, there are over 200,000 in the collection. 

Suppose you are interested in learning more about real photograph postcards. The Internet has tons of information about societies and associations dealing with postcards of all subjects. Dealers are constantly on the hunt for collectibles.

Sources: “Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs,” by Maureen A. Taylor. (Cincinnati, OH: F&W Publications, 2005).

            

            

Carte de Viste and Cabinet Card Photographs

 Carte de Viste and Cabinet Cards are two types of easily recognizable photographs dating from the Victorian era or about the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. 

            The carte de visite (CdV) photographs are the size of calling cards, measuring 2 1/2 x 4 inches. Because of their size, a series of photographs could be produced on paper and cut into eight cards. The size may vary, however, because commercial suppliers began mass-producing cards, and the images had to be trimmed to fit the card size. Many were careless in their trimming, so you may run across some CdVs that are angled or otherwise varied. 

       

           Many people who went calling on their relatives or neighbors would leave their carte de vistes upon leaving. The pictures became popular in the 1860s, and royalty, politicians, actors, and other famous individuals had their images made into these photographs and signed them. The Victorians prized carte de visite photographs and collected them. 

            These photographs were famous during the Civil War. President Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant had their photos taken this way. Albums were made to accommodate people’s collections and hold the prized cards. It would be fortunate for someone to have an album full of these beautiful Victorian treasures among their family photograph collection!  

            To identify a carte de viste, first measure the size of the photograph. The paper print will be mounted on a commercially produced card. Look closely at the subject in the picture and notice the hairstyles and clothing. Carte de vistes were produced into the very early 1900s. These small prints may appear very faded and grainy.  

            Cabinet cards replaced the carte de vistes. They can measure from small, 5 inches x 7 inches, to larger ones, 5 inches x 10 inches. A customary cabinet card is a photo mounted onto thicker card stock. There is extra space around the photo; you will find the photographer’s studio imprint (if there is one), usually at the bottom. These are albumen images and will have a yellow-brown or purple-blue tone. But sometimes, they may appear black and white. That is due to the process in which they were developed. The last cabinet cards were produced around 1925.

            These photographs were named because Victorians displayed them in their parlors, especially in cabinets. The cabinet card was an admired type of photograph that displayed family groups. By this time, photographers began to use props or complex scenes in studios, using ironwork chairs, gates and fences, fake trees and grass, or ornately constructed window and doorway sets. 

            To identify cabinet cards, note their measurements and observe the color of the paper image. Note if they have gilt and embossed decorative borders and an imprint giving the photographer’s name & the location of the studio. If the card stock separates layers on the edges, they were probably made after 1870. 

            The Victorians treasured all things, especially their clothing and jewelry. Cabinet cards document their love of the elaborate. Children’s pictures may show them poised with their dolls, toys, bicycles, and wagons. Look for women in fanciful hats and gorgeous gowns and men with pocket watches, mustaches, and dapper clothing. 

            When Kodak introduced the Brownie Box Camera around 1900, cabinet card photographs declined in popularity.

            While researching these two types of photographs, I found a lot of conflicting information. Writers, photographers, and collectors disagree on the dates the carte de visite and cabinet card photographs were introduced and how they were produced. 

            I love these types of photographs, and in my collection, there are cabinet card photos of babies, children posed with their pets, men sitting beside their faithful dog, women in giant hats, and family groups in various settings. Not all of them have the photography studio imprint. 

            If you visit flea markets and antique stores and run around to community garage sales, you will probably find old photographs displayed in baskets and trays on shelves of other collectible treasures.

Types of Photographs ~

When you look at a family photograph collection, you may see all types of pictures: tintypes, paper prints, case images, Polaroids, black-and-white, color, and digitalized. Over the years, types of photographs have come and gone quickly, which is why there is a good market for buying, selling, and collecting photographs today. Here is an overview of the types of photographs. 

NOTE: all photographs are from the author's collection. They are not in any order, I randomly placed them within this blog post.

Daguerreotypes were made from about 1839 to 1870. The sitting time for these photographs could be five to 30 minutes. Photographers sometimes used clamps to help their subjects sit still. 

 Calotypes were the first paper images from about 1841 to the late 1850s. These photos were not very popular, and the ones that survive today are usually found in museums. 

 Ambrotypes were negative images made on glass plates with a dark coating on the backs. They lasted from about 1852 to the early 1870s. 

 Tintypes, also called ferrotypes or melainotypes, were created on a thin, blackened iron sheet, then coated with chemicals and varnished to protect the image. In a future column, I will cover much more information about the popular tintype photographs.  

This is a tintype of my great, great-grandfather.

From 1850 to the early 1900s, Albumen prints, which were also printed on paper, helped make photography profitable. 

Stereographs were prints of nearly identical images mounted beside each other and viewed through a viewer called a stereograph. They were popular from about 1854 to 1938.         

Cabinet card photographs were made from about 1866 to 1906. The photographic images were put on large, oversized card stock. I have quite a few of these cabinet cards in my collection.

A cabinet card; the photographer was a traveling photographer; his imprint is at bottom of photo.

Another cabinet card with the same traveling photographer's imprint.

George Eastman founded the new age of photography with black-and-white snapshots. From the late 1880s to the present, these prints were taken with box cameras that were easy to use. Eastman named his new camera Kodak, and the company’s promotion was geared specifically to women and children. 

 Photo postcards are a particular class to me. I own a precious photo postcard dated February 1912. The photo shows my paternal great-grandmother, 17, holding her son, my grandfather, Perry Utter. On the postcard side, she wrote to her younger sister in Rocky Comfort. There is a lot of information about photo postcards, which I will write about in a future column. 

An original photo postcard, circa 1912; author's great-grandmother with her son, my grandfather. 

Autochrome photographs were the first color prints dating from 1904 to the later 1930s. There are special handling tips for owners of these types of prints. 

Color paper prints are well known today. The Kodak Company introduced Kodachrome 16mm movie film in 1935 and color prints with negatives in 1941. However, the popularity of Digital Imaging in today’s market ended the manufacture of Kodachrome film. 

Author's photo, Leaving Kansas, circa 1910.

My grt, grt grandfather's family cornet band, circa 1900. 

From 1947 to the present, an instant photo is recognizable due to its thick black pouch-like backing. Polaroids became popular because consumers could snap a picture and wait for a few seconds while the photo developed inside the camera, not needing to take the film to the store for development. Special care is necessary for these types of photos. 

Today, digital cameras are a popular way for photographers to take family photos. Digital imaging goes along with scrapbooking-treasured pictures for fun and easy creative projects. While many people embrace digital cameras, the cameras requiring film continue to be popular.

Sources: 

“Photography as a Tool in Genealogy,” by Ron and Maureen Taylor and “Getting Up To Date,” Family Tree Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 7, November 2010. 

             

The Boom of Photography ~

Humans are visual beings. We like pictures to help illustrate what we are reading or listening to. When photography was born, it is no wonder humans bought into the new invention. The first photographs our ancestors saw amazed them, and they marveled at the detail of the pictures captured. 

The word photography means “light” and “to write.” The earliest cameras were actually boxes that used light to project images through a small hole onto surfaces. Rather than recording an image, they were projectors of light. 

A French inventor, Niepce, made the first permanent photograph in 1825, and Louis Daguerre collaborated with him to refine the process. When Niepce died, Daguerre continued to experiment. In 1839, he developed photographic plates and discovered that an image could be made permanent by immersing it in salt. You may recognize the name Daguerre for his invention, which produced the type of photograph known as the Daguerreotype.

Society first viewed the new photographic process as threatening painting and drawing, but the interest outweighed the negativity. When our ancestors embraced photography, they liked its qualities. The demand for the new images spurred inventors to develop new and better ways to produce photographs. 

An interesting fact I found is that in the 1850 US Federal Census, 938 males over the age of fifteen were listed with a daguerreotypist occupation. 

By 1840, William Henry Fox Talbert made the first paper print, called either a talbotype or a calotype. Those prints were produced from a waxed paper negative. The images lacked sharpness and clarity, but they were the beginning of a wonderful way to capture people, places, events, and things on paper for posterity.

Ambrotypes appeared in the mid-1850s, but by 1860, the tintype method was the most popular method for owning images. Tintypes were more durable and could be carried in a pocket or mailed to loved ones.

I own three tintypes in my photograph collection. One is a small wallet-size tintype of my great-great-grandfather, Thomas Nathaniel Johnson, who lived in Kings Valley, McDonald County. Another is a large 8x10, and the last is a 3 x 4 case image of a mother and daughter. 

After paper prints were invented, card photographs became popular. The paper print was mounted onto cardboard stock. Carte de visite, cabinet cards, and stereographs are the three types of card photographs. I also have many of these in my collection. 

Early photographers' goal was to simplify the photography process. Using large cameras and heavy equipment was cumbersome. 

George Eastman considered the father of photography, ushered in the age of candid photography with the slogan, “You push the button, we do the rest.” Eastman developed the roll film camera that anybody could operate and called it the Kodak camera. 

The Kodak Company is instrumental in the age of photography. They marketed their cameras to women, and I’m glad they did. My great-grandmother owned a camera at a very young age, and snapping photos of her friends and of her life events became one of her passions. Through that passion, I have a wonderful photograph collection today.

Cameras, film, and photography have evolved into the digital wonders we enjoy today. But make no mistake; photography truly is an art form. I admire award-winning photographers, for there is nothing more breathtaking than seeing a person, animal, place, or event captured and saved to a paper print.  

In the coming posts, I will describe each type of photograph listed. Understanding the pictures you may own is necessary to identify and study them. 

I hope you enjoy collecting old photographs as much as I do, and better yet, I hope you use your camera to snap those pictures that tell your family story.

 

"Say Cheese!" The Art of Photography

"Say Cheese!" The Art of Photography  

Photography is an art form. 

A photographer should love using the camera to capture moments that will be lost in time. I am lucky to own an excellent and varied collection of family photographs from all the family lines in my genealogy tree.  

Photography has been around for almost 200 years. It began about 1839 to 1840 when William Henry Fox Talbert announced to the Royal Society of London, England, that he had perfected a paper photographic process. 

While doing family history, I'm thankful for the many pictures I've found. Many families are less fortunate. Sometimes photographs are lost in a house fire or other disasters. Occasionally, people are not interested in old photograph collections, so they toss the pictures out with the trash! Many times, people keep the family pictures in a box and store them in the garage or attic, where year after year, the old photos are susceptible to extreme heat, cold, bugs, rot, and dirt. The elements will eventually destroy those photos that are records of history. It's a pity.

Photographs are among the most valuable genealogical tools. Family pictures contain a vast amount of history and details of social significance. They offer many clues about ancestors' lives, adding to the information we obtain through paper records, stories, and certificates.

A family photograph collection is a direct link to family history. The photos and images will provide insight into your ancestors and their lives. The problem is undocumented photos. Suppose no names, dates, or other pertinent information are written on the photos. In that case, you'll have to use your detective skills to solve the who, when, where, what, and why questions. Do this by comparing those photos with those documented with the necessary information.

When you work on the old photographs in your collection, you must play the part of the detective. You need to research every clue in the picture and follow the lead to uncover information usually hidden in the elements of the image. You must learn to search for clues to the answers you want from your old photographs. 

Orphans and heirlooms are photographs and items lost in the family of origin. They are belongings that were once very dear to someone. We find orphaned photos and heirlooms in antique stores, flea markets, and garage sales, or left in a box in the closet, garage, or attic of a home when someone dies or moves. They are in those boxes of "junk" we buy at an auction. Or, in my case, they are precious items that were sold at auction after a particularly nasty grandfather stole my inheritance from me on the day of my great-grandmother's funeral. 

In future posts, I'll discuss the brief history of photography, the different types of photographs and picture postcards, separating and organizing your photograph collection, dating and identifying clues in photos, and caring for those old photographs. Did you know you can make a photo timeline with the photos you have, and then you can write your family history using the information from those photographs?

Even if you aren't interested in genealogy and don't own old kinfolk photographs, you probably have modern photographs of your family, children, and pets. These photographs must be cared for just as much as the old ones. And there are some fun ways to use your modern photos and help take care of them at the same time…through scrapbooking. I'll discuss scrapping and the above topics in future blogs.

My next post will focus on the boom of photography, its history, and how the Kodak Company made its own history in photography. I'm glad they did! 

Resources: 

Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs by Maureen A. Taylor, Tracing Your Family History by Lise Hull, and The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy by Kimberly Powell. 

     

Capturing Family Memories ~

Our daughter and son-in-law just had their Fourth of July party a few days ago. It was a spectacular event, and our SW Missouri weather cooperated beautifully; after a couple of weeks of brutally hot and humid days and nights, a cold front moved through, making the atmosphere bearable and pleasurable.

As dusk fell on the group gathered at the big pond facing south, where trailers of fireworks waited. I snapped pictures of the kids running around, their laughter like a chorus of joy. They were eating watermelon, juice dripping down their chins, and jumping in and out of the wading pool, their splashes sparkling like diamonds in the evening light. But…

I realized that I hadn’t taken any photos of the grand event: tables jubilantly laden with burgers, hotdogs, and all the trimmings, a feast fit for a joyous celebration. The festive 4th of July decorations was strategically placed welcoming guests with vibrant colors and patriotic pride. The DJ played memorable country and rock music, each note weaving through the air and etching memories into our hearts. Groups of people sat in the shade, visiting and laughing, while children darted about, their energy infectious.

And it’s too late. Those moments are gone, slipped through my fingers like grains of sand. It reminded me that family photographs are more than just pictures; they are fragments of our family history, pieces of our lives that we can revisit and cherish.

Here is a list of monthly suggestions I gathered from several sources. Add your creative ideas to snap your way to a bulging family photograph album. Don’t wait; the moments of your life will be gone in the blink of an eye.

JANUARY: Capture the kids bundled up to go outdoors, icicles hanging like nature's chandeliers, people sledding down snowy hills, snowmen with carrot noses, the ritual of taking down holiday decorations, marshmallows melting in hot chocolate, bowls of steaming soup, and comforting chili with all the trimmings.

FEBRUARY: The excitement of the Super Bowl party, the love in the air on Valentine’s Day, kids creating their valentines for school projects and friends, heart-shaped cookies, basketball games, sports events, and cozy scenes of kids in pajamas.

MARCH: Photograph your favorite Dr. Seuss books, children lost in the world of those stories, kites soaring in the wind, your vehicle covered in the first signs of spring, trees blooming, flowers sprouting through the ground, playing in puddles after a rainstorm, and baby animals frolicking.

APRIL: Capture those beautiful prom moments, Easter celebrations, new Easter clothes, religious activities, more baby animals, egg hunting, rainbows, rainy days, umbrellas, rain boots, St. Patrick’s Day activities, your pets, flowers peeking through the dirt, and the excitement of soccer and baseball games.

MAY: Document Mother’s Day events, your mother’s hands, your grandma’s hands, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, the last school day, graduation day, cemeteries adorned for Memorial Day, outings at the park, flowers in full bloom, family working in the garden, and gardening tools.

JUNE: Take photos with your dad, your grandpa, outdoor sporting events, kids playing in the yard, barbecues, garden flowers, animals at the zoo, your feet in flip flops, picnics, scenes around your hometown, weddings, fishing trips, and camping trips.

JULY: Capture the essence of county fairs, summer fun, baled hay in fields, water fights, swimming pools, outings to the creek, people boating and floating, farm fields, family reunions, camping, gardening, flowers in window boxes, trees, glasses of iced tea, ice cream and snow cones, watermelon, fireworks displays, parades, pet parades, flags flying, and a child holding a worm or a bug.

AUGUST: Document family reunions, fresh corn on the cob, farmers markets, summer sunsets, vacations, reading a book, pitchers of lemonade, back-to-school shopping, people riding bikes, back-to-school night, the first day of school, your children’s teachers, and the night sky filled with stars.

SEPTEMBER: Capture the first day of fall, visits with grandparents, apple-picking, football games, football workouts, cheerleaders, fresh-baked cookies, families in sweaters, the mailman delivering mail, your schoolteacher, your hometown buildings and shops along the street, and the courthouse square gazebo.

OCTOBER: Photograph the trees and hillsides in their autumn glory, trips through the hills and hollows, hayrides, pumpkins, corn mazes, scarecrows, kids jumping in leaf piles, homecoming celebrations, Halloween parades, haunted houses, pumpkin pies, trick-or-treating, and farmer’s markets.

NOVEMBER: Document bare trees, baked pies, geese flying south, animals in the barnyard, scenes along a country drive, family gatherings, Thanksgiving dinner, dogs and kids playing outdoors, home decorations, church activities, and family members around the table.

DECEMBER: Capture the first snowfall, winter activities, community service events, trees laden with snow, home decorations, people decorating their homes for the holidays, Christmas and holiday cards, caroling, trimmed trees, mantles with stockings, packed shopping bags, holiday candies, holiday flowers, vintage blow mold plastic holiday decorations, cookies left out for Santa, New Year’s Eve parties, friends sharing laughter, holiday shopping, and family members taking a nap.

One final thought: after you snap your amazing photos, be sure to label them with complete data of who, where, when, why, and how. Remember, life is short, and the amazing times we share with family and friends are fleeting.