Monthly Vintage Photograph Case Study

	Monthly Case Study		Analysis of Old Photographs An examination and explanation of clues to establish the date of 19th century photographs.

Case Study: October 8, 2013

About the Case Studies

Photo Facts
Photo Type	Over painted paper
Print Size	Approx. 9" x 12"
Frame Size	Approx 13" x 16"
Frame Material	Wood & veneer
Over Paint	Water Color

Each month a new photo case study typical of old family photographs is published.

These examples can help genealogists learn the skills that will help date their own photos.

An estimated date (if one is not available) is assigned a +/- number of years it could be. Dating old photos is a science that provides answers usually within 2 - 6 years of when the photo was taken.

Front Side

Clues

Explanation

Click for Larger Image

Frame
Over paint

Very Special Photographs

in the early 20th century, enlarged, oval photographs were very popular for special occasions. They were usually painted in water color, though other paints were available. Besides adding color and character to the photograph, over painting covered up the poor quality of enlargements at the time.

Wedding pictures were a prime market for these treatments.

This enlarged, oval, painted photograph is the wedding picture of Gary Clark's (PhotoTree founder) maternal grandparents. They married February 29, 1916.

Confirmed Date: 1916

Oval Portraits Were Widely Produced

An additional photograph of similar treatment, style, and framing is shown below. This is another wedding picture from 1912, in possessio of a good friend, it is also her grandparents.

These were produced in a variety of sizes, some similar to 8" x 10", then some very large, 24" or more tall.

Expense was not spared for the frame in most cases. Beautiful wood frames with prominent grain or a tortoise shell look graced the photograph.

Beautiful veneer woodwork in tortoise shell design was very popular during this time.

Close up of water color on a photogoraph.

The left picture is another example of over painting and wood frame craftsmanship from the same era; a wedding portrait from 1912. Thank you to my friend Cathy J. for use of this image, it also is a painted photograph of her grandparents.

Click this image for larger view of pieces.

All three examples have a curved glass. In addition, the 1912 picture was curved itself. The other two were flat images. So both methods of print shape was available at the same time.

This type of picture was not reserved for wedding portraits, though they are very common. Obviously this little girl was very dear to someone to have a special photograph commissioned. Larger than most, this frame is nearly 24 inches tall.

While this girl's portrait was not dated, the coloring and frame style suggest the early 20th century also.

You can become an expert at analyzing photographs.

Much of the information used to analyze this photograph is covered in the Identification section of this web site. In addition, comparison to similar yet dated photographs in the Gallery section will help confirm the estimates. Even greater detail, organized for this type of research is available in PhotoTree.com's books. Learn More.

Past Cases

Monthly Case Study

Analysis of Old Photographs