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by Maureen A. Taylor

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# Monday, September 14, 2009
One More Time: Funny Pictures
Posted by Maureen

I have another album of funny pictures to share with you. This time, there's even an entry from faraway Chile. Thanks to the Web, this column has readers around the globe.

Cook6 Jul 1913 Mt  Washington 001.jpg
Laura Cook sent me several images of her grandmother Marie Schultheis clowning with friends in the summer of 1913. This is my favorite (above). I love the pained expression of the guy on the bottom.

caponeLadies with dresses pulled up (2).jpg

Barbara Capone sent in a family mystery. It was taken in Scotland County, Mo., at what she thinks was Minnie and Joseph Cook Walker's house, but she has no idea who these people are. The Walkers were her Capone's grandparents.

PeelEarlMarionNeil (3).jpg

Here's a fun snapshot of Faith Peel's father, aunt and uncle. She doesn't know the names of the rest of the folks.

sebaskyunidmen275 (4).jpg

Marlys Sebasky thought this picture and the next one looked very similar to the original posting of the card players in Fergus Falls, Minn. What do you think?

unidmen122.jpg

Gonzalo A. Luengo O. of Chile sent the image below. It's a postcard sent from Sestri Ponente (near Genoa, Italy) to Luengo's great-great-grandfather Antonio De Filippi Montaldo. It's a bit of a mystery. The banner reads "Premio Beneficenza, 28 febbraio 1903" which translates to "Charity Prize, February 28, 1903."  Does anyone have any information on the tradition shown? E-mail me if you do.
GonzalesANTONIO DE FILIPPI 1.jpg


1920s photos | 1930s photos | candid photos | group photos | Photo fun | photo postcards
Monday, September 14, 2009 4:16:12 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [0]
# Monday, September 07, 2009
An Album of Funny Pictures
Posted by Maureen

Last week I asked readers to submit funny pictures. Thank you to everyone who sent images. I've been laughing all week. So here they are...fun images that leave you wondering, "What were they thinking?"

EdminsterWill Samels Robt Shane and others.jpg
Sue Edminster sent in this photo (above) of men with numbers on the soles of their shoes. Why?  Who knows!  The men are, bottom to top, Will Samels, Bob Shane (Edminster's grandfather) and Will Young. The photo was taken circa 1890.

mcclenahan2kirk brothers.jpg

Here's a card-playing group courtesy of Merna McClenathen. With her grandfather, Milton "Tom" Kirk (2nd from right), are his brothers, William McCready "Crede" Kirk (3rd from right) and Alfred "Alf" Kirk (far right). The man holding all the cards on the far left is unknown. McClenathen thinks this photo was taken circa 1890 in the Black Hills of South Dakota near Lead, SD,when the Kirk brothers were working as carpenters at the Homestake Mine.

McClenathenGeo Alford.jpg

Merna sent in two images. Above, you can see what a double exposure looked like taken with either the real Freako-Shutter mentioned last week, or a similar device. Your eyes aren't playing tricks. It's the same man, George P. Alford.

PierceManFeedingDoll.jpg

The earliest funny picture I received came from Rachel Peirce. This one (sbove) dates between Aug. 1, 1864 and Aug. 1, 1866. I know this because on the back is a tax revenue stamp. One can only wonder why this man posed feeding a doll. The doll probably has a china head and cloth body, and could be an imported model. The man is "feeding" it from the dish on the table. The photographer hand-colored the doll's dress a light pink.

PikePoker girls.jpg

Sharon Pike sent the most recent image in this set. It dates from c. 1900. I've seen other images from this time frame of women dressed like men in funny pictures. Here, it's Belle and Fanny Curtis. Belle was born in 1882. Their father, Asaph Curtis, owned the Hotel Rockford on Long Lake in Washburn Co., Wis.

Come back next week, when I reveal an unusual coincidence in a reader's picture.


1860s photos | 1890s photos | 1900-1910 photos | group photos | men | Photo fun | props in photos | women
Monday, September 07, 2009 8:59:22 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [1]
# Monday, August 31, 2009
Funny Ancestral Pictures
Posted by Maureen

Roxanne Turpin sent me a photo that made me think about the transition in photo poses. In most of the images from the 1840s, 1850s and even 1860s technology and our ancestors' discomfort with being photographed combine to make folks look like they're in pain. Then suddenly, people started to relax in front of the camera. They had fun with photography. Photo studio props and poses caught sitters in action.

I own a picture of a man with a curious expression on his face. It's a little odd:

men066.jpg

Turning over the image gave me the answer. The photographer's imprint says the following: "Caricatures, (patented) Ask to see those Funny Pictures taken only at... Theo. F. Chase, Photographer."  The pose was intentional! It was taken about 1880. 

Now let's look at Turpin's image taken around 1900 (I'm still refining the date) in Fergus Falls, Minn.

turpin.jpg

It depicts five men playing poker. Their cards and money are on the table. It's a friendly group of men all smoking cigars. The man in the middle moved a bit and blurred—I wish he hadn't moved so I could see his odd hat. 

In the July 1909 issue of Photographic Topics (published by the Obrig Camera Company) is a brief news item about how amateur photographers could take funny images of their friends:
Freako-Shutter for Funny Photographs. Fits any camera. The Freako-Shutter is a simple, amusing attachment, and everyone who used a camera should have one. It can be fitted to any camera in a few seconds, after the first adjustment. It will cause no end of amusement in making funny pictures of friends, etc. ...
Basically, the Freako-Shutter allowed the user to shoot two exposures on the same negative. It first became available in 1903. Users could also shoot stereo images with the attachment.

Taking "funny pictures" is still going strong today. Think about the times you put rabbit ears behind someone's head. <grin> If you have a funny ancestral photo in your family album, send it to me. I'll feature in an upcoming post.


1880s photos | 1900-1910 photos | men | Photo fun
Monday, August 31, 2009 5:16:32 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [1]
# Monday, June 22, 2009
Photo Craft Directions
Posted by Maureen

Several readers wrote to me after the article Photo Crafts From Our Readers. They wanted to know how to create those lovely photo tins and bookmarks.

Carol Norwood shared how she made her photo bookmarks:
The bookmarks are very simple. I just make them in Microsoft Publisher. I create several long, skinny strips on a page (I find three fit nicely on an 8-1/2 x 11-inch sheet of paper). I drop in a photo and then the appropriate text regarding that person. After printing three to four on card stock, I cut the bookmarks on a paper cutter. 
I don't know about you, but this is something I definitely want to try!

Carolyn Natsch wrote to tell me that those lovely photo tins were sold by a company named Maya Road, but are not currently available. Both of us searched and couldn't find another supplier. She suggested looking for similar items at scrapbook and craft stores. You can also make personalized photo tins using the online photo processing site Snapfish.com.

In fact, most of the photo processing sites now offer product lines you can personalize with family pictures. If you're planning a family reunion and want to produce a large quantity of items, check out the offerings on CafePress.com. Shirts, mugs, aprons and bags are all possibilities.

June 26-28 I'll be at the Southern California Genealogical Society  Jamboree in Burbank. I hope you'll stop by my booth (#117) and say hello!


Photo fun
Monday, June 22, 2009 4:30:58 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [1]
# Monday, June 08, 2009
Photo Crafts From Our Readers
Posted by Maureen

Several readers of this blog sent in examples of their creative endeavors that use family photos. You don't want to damage original images by using them in picture-perfect projects, but you can use copies. Here's a gallery of their projects. 



Carolyn Natsch sent in the above picture of her memory tin.

Norwoodbookmarks.jpg
Carol Norwood creates these lovely photo bookmarks that include information about the person depicted.

Van KirkWall1.jpg

Jarrod W. Van Kirk created a pictorial family tree on a wall in his home.



Tillie Van Sickle sent this picture her beautiful Miller Family Quilt.

Hope you enjoy (and even get inspired by) these examples!
Photo fun | preserving photos
Monday, June 08, 2009 2:19:46 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [3]
# Monday, June 01, 2009
Photo Crafts From Our Ancestors
Posted by Maureen

So far, no one has answered my call in last week's column for pictures of creative endeavors using family photos, but I found an example of a historic photo craft attached to an email from Candace Fountoulakis. She received this photo from her maternal aunt.

060109wATTS0001.jpg
It's a lovely piece of needlework, but no one knows the name of the couple in the center. Candace thinks they could be from either the Watts or the Boohler side of her family from Ohio.

This image was taken by the Grand Central Gallery of Omaha, Neb. German immigrant Herman Heyn was the owner of the studio, according to the 1883 city directory for Omaha (available on Ancestry.com). In subsequent years Heyn is at the same address until his photo business becomes James & Co., circa 1900.

Given the style of their clothing, this picture is likely a copy of a much earlier image taken in the 1860s. The couple is dressed in everyday work attire; notice the apron worn by the woman.

Figuring out who they are requires examining family history. Fountoulakis can see who lived in Omaha in the 1880s or 1890s, then look at the birth and death dates of their parents.

A woman created the frame using cross stitch. Don't jump to the conclusion that this couple is necessarily on a maternal line. During the 19th century, it was customary to call your in-laws Mother and Father as well as your own parents.

Although the identity of this couple is a mystery for now, it's no secret what happened to Heyn. He later became famous for taking pictures of Native American tribal personages during the Indian Congress of 1898.  You can view some of his stunning handcolored pictures on the Library of Congress Flickr site.


1860s photos | Photo fun
Monday, June 01, 2009 7:23:29 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [2]
# Monday, April 06, 2009
A Blog Worth Reading
Posted by Diane

Just wanted to say congratulations to Maureen for making the Photo Detective blog one of Chris Dunham's 10 Genealogy Blogs Worth Reading.

And thanks to Dunham! (He's the Genealogue's more serious alter ego.)


Photo fun
Monday, April 06, 2009 2:52:17 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [0]
# Friday, February 27, 2009
Wish I Were There!
Posted by Diane

Hope it’s OK if I butt into the blog for a second. Maureen’s on a whirlwind trip to the Who Do You Think You Are? Live family history show in London, where she’s staying with genealogy Facebook friends.

She says hi, and she sent a picture of the group queueing up to get in. More pictures and some words to go with them next week.



Mind the gap, please!


Photo fun | Photos from abroad | women
Friday, February 27, 2009 9:24:29 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0]
# Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Tag I'm It...Again!
Posted by Maureen

Gosh. Sean Sexton tagged me for another online meme and told me to blame Randy Seaver <smile>. This time I'm supposed to tell you eight random things about myself and of course tag eight others. So here goes. First, the rules.
  1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
  2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
  3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their name.
  4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.
1. Like Sean, I'm usually reading more than one book at a time. Right now it's a James Rollins novel, Tribes by Seth Godin, and a book on training my puppy. This doesn't include the daytime reading I do to solve your picture mysteries. Can you tell I was an early reader?

2. I have dog. These memes can get a little personal so I hope this doesn't cross over into the TMI (too much information) category. She's a lovely little Maltese.

3. I owned my first camera at 7 and have the photographic proof to prove it. You might have caught a glimpse of me with camera in hand on my FaceBook page.

4. My current favorite museum is the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. They have a special membership fee for folks who live a certain distance from the Big Apple so I joined. Now I wish I lived closer to the city so I could go more often.

5. I once tried to learn Russian. Do I need to say more? 

6. I can't remember a time when I didn't want to work with photographs. My first job out of college was as a reference assistant at a historical society and as an assistant photo curator. It was a spilt job--one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

7. My office is organized by color. As a visual person it's a lot easier for me to locate files if I assign different colors for different types of material.  The only problem I've had is when a company discontinues a color. 

8. My ancestry is French-Candian, English, Irish and Scottish. Some day I hope to travel to Scotland, but first I have to track down the birthplaces of those ancestors. I'm working on it.

I'm going to tag the following people:

Photo fun
Tuesday, December 09, 2008 6:36:38 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1]
# Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tag continued!
Posted by Maureen

Kathryn Doyle of the California Genealogical Society and Library Blog added two more categories to the Tag game also called a meme.  By the way, check out the international blogs that Kathyrn tagged.

Five Places to Visit Again
1. Italy ( I love the whole country)
2. Sante Fe, New Mexico
3. Jekyll Island, Georgia
4. Bermuda (Have you caught on to the theme...sun and warmth)
5. The Pacific Coast

Five Places I Want to Visit for the First Time
1. Scotland ( I want to tread where my ancestors lived!)
2. The rest of the Fifty States I haven't been too. ( I know that's not specific)
3. Spain
4. Egypt
5. Switzerland
Actually anyplace I haven't been.  I LOVE to travel.


Photo fun
Sunday, October 19, 2008 3:39:26 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [1]
# Friday, October 17, 2008
Tag I'm It! An Online Game
Posted by Maureen

Diane Haddad of Family Tree Magazine's Genealogy Insider blog tagged me and this blog in a game of Internet tag.  So here goes...

10 Years Ago I..
1. Left full-time employment and benefits like vacation time to freelance and focus on photos.
2. Coordinated a website project Boston Family History
3. Had two young children
4. Wrote my first trade paperback book, Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors, a guide to family history for kids.
5. Didn't have time for anything else <grin>

Five Things on Today's To-Do List
1. Try to catch up on e-mail
2. Write this column
3. Attend my son's soccer game
4. Work on some client reports
5. Wrap up work to take the weekend off

Five Snacks I Enjoy
1. Newman O's (the wheat free/dairy free kind)
2. Pamela's dark chocolate chocolate chip cookies
3. Raspberry Sorbet (Haagan Dazs)
4. Tostitos
5. Green and Blacks 85% Dark Chocolate

Five Places I've Lived
1. Bristol, Rhode Island
2. Providence, Rhode Island
3. Boston area, Massachusetts (twice)
4. That's all!

Five Jobs I've Had
1. clerk in a hardware store
2. Photo Curator
3. Reference Librarian
4. Picture Researcher
5. The Photo Detective <grin>

Five Blogs I Tag (This is a hard question there are so many I like to read)
1. Dead Fred (of course)
2. California Genealogical Society and Library Blog ( I love Wordless Wednesday's)
3. The Genealogue
4. The 24/7 Family History Circle
5. The Practical Archivist


Photo fun
Friday, October 17, 2008 9:10:02 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [1]