Every month, Maureen tackles photo identification, photo preservation questions from those submitted through social media and email. You can submit a question through photodetective@maureentaylor.com

This month’s questions:

• After scanning portraits, what to do concerning saving or discarding the card stock photo frame/folders. Will that card stock damage the photo long-term?
• What should I use to mark the back of un-mounted tintypes?
• I inherited family pictures that are incredibly old. Many of them are in old scrapbooks that are slowly deteriorating with age. I know there are facts written on the back of many photos, but I am torn about taking the albums apart to organize and store vs keeping them as I received them where someone put a lot of thought into it at the time. Thoughts or suggestions to offer?
• If I am scanning and saving documents for family archival purposes, what is the best way to title each picture when I save it? Also, should I save it as a tiff or jpg?
• I know this has been asked before, but what pen/pencil should I use to identify photos?
• Any updates on the family movies you sent out? How are you planning to save and share any digital versions?
• I have inherited a large collection of photos from my mother-in-law’s school. How can I get them online so that people can find them?
• Our poor coal miner /steelworker ancestors in the 1900’s took quite large wedding photos.  Where might one find the cost of a photo like this way back then?

Related Episodes:

Episode 125: Ask Maureen April 2021

Episode 117: Ask Maureen February 2021

Links:

• Where to Find the Products Maureen Uses
• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada.  She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira).  She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany’s top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 138: Ask Maureen July 2021 Edition appeared first on Maureen Taylor.

Take one wedding photo, add some research and you’ll end up with quite the story. That’s the premise behind The Wedding Detectives on BBC Radio 4. Charlotte Sibtain was on The Photo Detective back in episode 44 vintage Wedding Photos.  I discovered Charlotte’s Instagram feed and so did reporter Cole Moreton. Together they uncover the tales behind what on the surface look like ordinary wedding images.  Murder and mayhem are just one of the stories they found. You don’t have to live in the UK to listen to their program. My fingers are crossed the series gets expanded. Let’s help them by tuning in via the web. Link in the show notes. 

Related Episodes:

Episode 44: Vintage Wedding Photos

Episode 98: Collect Photo Stories with StoryGlory

Links:

• The Wedding Detectives
• Vintage Wedding Photos on Instagram
• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About My Guest:

Charlotte Sibtain is a London-based social researcher who collects vintage wedding photos and then reunites them where possible with the families. She is also the co-host of the popular BBC Radio 4 series, ‘The Wedding Detectives’.

Cole Moreton is a writer and broadcaster exploring who we are and what we believe in. His BBC Radio 4 series The Boy Who Gave His Heart Away won Audio Moment of the Year at the Arias and Best Writing at the World’s Best Radio Awards in New York. He also contributes to Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2. Cole was named as Interviewer of the Year at the Press Awards for his work with the Mail on Sunday and also writes for other titles including The Guardian and the i. He is the author of five books including Hungry for Home, which was shortlisted alongside Zadie Smith’s White Teeth for the prestigious John Llewelyn Rhys Prize for first book of any kind. An East Ender by birth, he now lives by the sea.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada.  She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira).  She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany’s top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 132: The Wedding Detectives Charlotte Sibtain and Cole Moreton appeared first on Maureen Taylor.

Two and a half years ago, Shannon Uschold of GenerationStory app was a guest on this podcast.  Listeners rocketed it to one of the top ten episodes where it stayed for a couple of years. I know you have heirlooms you don’t know what to do with and items you’d like to share. Two years ago, Shannon had a dream and worked tirelessly to find solutions. She did it. GenerationStory app gives us a way to preserve the stories of heirlooms large and small as well as providing a way for us to share our history by creating new items from pillows to wall coverings.  

Related Episodes:

Episode 19: GenerationStory App

Episode 86: Every Thing Tells a Story

Links:

• GenerationStory Save 40% with PD40
• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About My Guest:

Shannon Uschold is the Founder & CEO of GenerationStory, a free app that provides anyone a quick and easy way to archive, and tell the story of your most treasured family keepsakes and heirlooms.  In addition to the app, GenerationStory has a Shopify site offering on-demand, customizable products using images of your most treasured items. 

The mission is to capture memories before they are lost and to help people organize and share their family story. 

For Shannon, Every object has a story.  Like many things, GS had a history even before it was created. Compelled by childhood memories, objects, and family stories that surrounded her –  Shannon was inspired to create a solution for organizing and capturing memories before they were lost.  Each time she visited her grandmother’s house, she could be found sitting on a carpet in front of a bookcase full of old family treasures.  Her grandmother would tell little stories about the strips of paper that were rolled inside or attached to the back of an item. 

Coming from a long line of family preservationists, a grandmother, her mother, it’s no wonder Shannon found herself captivated by family stories.  She is a storyteller with a mission to preserve those significant objects in our lives and personal histories.  For Shannon, objects possess the power to captivate and inspire.

The GenerationStory approach that every object has a story – creates a pathway to connect all generations providing the capability to bring together all ages across all cultures.  They are focused on preserving stories before they are lost through the unique lens of sharing our family treasures.  Sharing the story of …… Who We Are, Who We Were and Who We Will Be. 

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada.  She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira).  She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany’s top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 129: Using Photos to Create Heirlooms With GenerationStory appeared first on Maureen Taylor.

In this monthly podcast, Maureen shares questions received via email and through social media.

• Can you tell us about changing exposure times for photographic portraits and why people didn’t smile for pictures?
• Do you have a good resource for looking up photographer names by location and years they were active?
• Is there a good resource for dating children’s clothing styles?
• How can I preserve a rusty tintype?
• Can you determine the financial status of a person in a portrait?
• What can you do with deteriorating Polaroids?

Related Episodes:

Episode 117: Ask Maureen February 2021

Episode 113: Ask Maureen January 2021

Links:

• Reunions Magazine
• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada.  She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira).  She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany’s top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 121: Ask Maureen March 2021 appeared first on Maureen Taylor.