Tips on how to identify unknown members in old family photographs.
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Tips on how to identify unknown members in old family photographs.
If you have ever flipped through albums of family photographs, then you’ve likely come across a dilemma many people face: unknown people in family photos. Uncovering the identity of people in unlabeled or only partially labeled photographs isn’t easy, but it’s important if you want to explore and record your family history. The following are some essential tips on how to identify unknown members in family photographs.
Tip: Date the photograph through fashion/style
If the photograph isn’t dated, then you can attempt to date it by examining the fashion or overall style people are wearing in the photograph. Although this won’t give you an exact date, it can help give you a general time period for the photo—such as the 1920s, the 1950s, the 1980s and so on.
Tip: Post the photo on Facebook to share it with the family
If you have plenty of family members on Facebook or other social media, then it can help to post the photograph there and ask people if anyone knows the identity of the person in the photograph. This is especially helpful if you have older or more distant relations on Facebook, as they may have people in their family who will recognize the person in the photo.
Tip: Have a “family photographs identification” get-together
Having a get-together with your family to try to identify unlabeled family photos is a great way to explore family memories and secure more family history in one fell swoop. You can ask family members to bring at least a few photos of people who aren’t labeled and the photos will be passed around during the event; if anyone knows who is in the photo, they can share that information.
Check out our fun family history activities to do at family reunions.
Tip: Research photos with specific locations
If the photo was taken in a specific location, such as in front of a building or in a national park, museum, or other identifiable location, then you can research that location to find out more information. This information can help you date the photograph—for instance, if a building was torn down in 1958 and the fashion in the photograph is from the 1950s, then you can reasonably assume that the photograph was taken sometime between 1950 and 1958. If you aren’t sure of the location, finding out where the photo was taken may also help you on your way to identifying the person in the photo.
Tip: Look through family albums to see if any names are labeled on the back of the photos.
In some cases, one photo of a family member may be unlabeled while other photos have more helpful information. Make sure you look through other family albums to see if there are any photos of the same person with a name, date, or other important information.
Identifying people from your family photographs may not be an easy task, but it is a worthwhile one that will help you explore your family history. The above tips will help you on your journey to finally identify people in old family photos.
Once you identify them add the gathered information to the metadata in your digital photos.
To learn how to label your old photo digital scans by using metadata click here.