Photo Detective with Maureen A. Taylor - hairstyles

Hairstyles!

Maureen — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:55:20 GMT

A few months ago, I asked for family photos of interesting hairstyles. I was overwhelmed with the response.

So many photos presented a problem. How could I present them? A slide show was the answer. I used Picasa, a free photo organizing tool from Google. I included a musical track just for fun.

Credits are at the bottom of each slide. There's some additional information as well. If a photo was submitted without a date, I tried to add a date to it. Enjoy!

(Here's a viewing tip: To watch the slideshow in full-screen mode so the captions are easier to read, look at the bottom gray bar of the video screen and click the rectangle button, located on the right side next to the up arrow button.)

Look for my ancestral hairstyles article in the May 2009 Family Tree Magazine (on sale now!).

Two-Sided Photo Mystery

Maureen — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:16:12 GMT

This photo will have to be covered in several installments. It's a complex mystery that involves dating the picture, figuring out where it was taken and deciding who's in it. What's on the back of the image is a whole other story.

Let's tackle the simple part this week—assigning a date.

The 15 people in the photo wear everyday clothing. Only one man (on the far right) wears a jacket; the rest are attired in work shirts and pants with wide-brimmed hats to shield their faces from the sun. The little boys wear short pants and wide-collared shirts.

The outfits on two of the women suggest an initial time frame for this group portrait. The smiling woman on the far left wears a dress with full sleeves, a pouched bodice and a wide double collar. Her skirt has fitted tucks at the hips.

The woman on the right in the back row wears a loose tie around her neck with a pouched front blouse and full sleeves.

Their topknot hairstyles clinch the time frame: The group probably posed for this portrait circa 1900 to 1906.

Next week I'll be back to discuss how the rest of the facts add up.

BTW, the creases on the image suggest that this image was folded and unfolded multiple times. The paper has actually worn away at the center. The staining you see is due to the glue used to adhere it to the paper.

Summer in the Family Album

Maureen — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:23:13 GMT

I live in New England. Winter started early this year and with more snow on the way, it isn't leaving anytime soon. It's one for the record books.

The lack of a January thaw has me daydreaming of summer—sunshine filled days and the beach. Obviously, I'm not alone. Derek Sundberg of Essex, in the United Kingdom, sent me this photo. It's part of a series of 14 snapshots that all depict the same people.

The woman in the belted bathing suit on the right is his mother, Emily May. (I'm withholding her last name for privacy purposes.) Derek believes that one of the group members is the photographer. So who are the six other people shown above? He has no idea.

It's a lovely group snapshot taken at the beach in the late 1920s to about 1930. The girls' bobbed cuts and shapeless bathing suits confirm the time frame. I love the canvas bathing pavilions that surround them.

In this picture, Emily (b. 1905) would be in her 20s, but I think some of the women look like younger teenagers. Derek wrote that his mother spent her entire life in Thurrock, Essex, and that she once worked at Thames Board Mills, in Purfleet, Essex. It's possible these folks are her friends from work, friends from town or a couple of younger relatives.

It's an identification mystery. Here are some suggestions:

I'd start by showing the images to relatives to see if anyone recognizes the man and the women. I'd also ask if anyone remembers his mother's friends from her job. Another relative might have other pictures of this group. The unknown photographer likely would''ve taken other pictures that summer.

Next, I'd compare their faces to other images in family albums. If these individuals were Emily's friends or family, they'll appear in other pictures.

Third, I'd post this image on photo reunions sites like Dead Fred and Ancient Faces and hope for a match.

If anyone recognizes these young people, send me an email and I'll forward it to Derek. I'm going to link this to my FaceBook page because it's possible one of my FB friends from overseas will know these folks.

Guess what? Next week I'll be back with more ancestral pet photos. I've found a way to show them all at once. Let's hope it works.

Hairstyles and History: A Call for Photos

Maureen — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:04:58 GMT

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm relieved that the mystery of the One Glove has been solved and a reunion is underway. I'm not going to include links here because instead of the usual one-column post, the glove tale stretched to four whole columns. Scroll down in the blog to read them all.

This week I'm asking for your help.

I've been hard at work tracking down all the little details about hair and why our ancestors chose to follow particular styles. It's for an upcoming issue of Family Tree Magazine.

I don't want to give too much away, but I'll tell you right now...the story behind the puffs, ringlets and bangs on our ancestor's heads is fascinating. I haven't left out the men—facial hair of all sorts will be featured.

But here's where I could use some help: Do you have a photograph of an ancestor with an interesting hairstyle, beard or mustache? E-mail it to me and you just might see it in the magazine or in this space.

Can't wait to see what you've got!