The Photo Detective Podcast

How did you and your ancestors learn how to take “Good Pictures?”  It’s likely they read Kodak’s guide for amateur photographers, How to Make Good Pictures published from 1912 to

In amateur snapshots and selfies we don’t take care with our fashion. We pose in what we decided to wear that day. Now think about when you go to a

If you thought that you knew Eliza Hamilton because you watched the Broadway musical, well...you need to read Susan Holloway Scott’s book, I Eliza.  What makes good theater isn’t necessarily

In this episode I answer your photo questions submitted through my social media accounts and via email. I have dozens of large photo albums that were put together by my

I think that 19th-century tintype photographers would be amazed to see that their medium is still thriving in the age of digital photography. Their spirit exists in my guest for

Collecting images is something that I’m familiar with. There are thousands of images in my research collection. It’s hard to stop purchasing interesting pictures because each one is a little

When I saw coverage in The New York Times of a cache of slides and the attempts to identify the who, what, where, and when of them, I had to

I hope you're enjoying this month-long focus on tintypes. Those inexpensive metal images of our ancestors appear in antique shops and online auctions in cases, paper sleeves, and without any

If you thought tintypes were only from the olden days, you may be surprised to learn that the tintypes are still being produced today. Those dark tin images in your