Ask Maureen: May 2021

The Photo Detective

Each month Maureen answers questions from listeners.

• When scanning cabinet cards, do you only do one scan of the entire front of the card which would include the border & photographer logo, or do you also make a 2nd scan of just the photo itself?
• Carol asked: I have a picture of my GG grandmother (1829-1901). She is elderly in the picture & wearing small hoop earrings. It appears that her ears are pierced. Was it common in the 1800s for an older woman to have pierced ears? Did they go out of fashion in the twentieth century?
• Does MyHeritage own my photos when I upload them?
• What archival safe pen/pencils do you recommend for labeling heritage images?

It’s important to download documents or sync them to your tree when you locate them online. What’s on a genealogy site today doesn’t mean it will be there tomorrow.

• Do Ambrotypes fade when exposed to light?
• Karen asks: My great-grandmother in a professional photo with her husband and oldest child has rings on her left middle finger. Was that common in 1910?

It’s important to download documents or sync them to your tree when you locate them online. What’s on a genealogy site today doesn’t mean it will be there tomorrow? Thank goodness I saved what I needed.

I’ve been working on my family tree again. My Dad’s line. Two cousins are asking me to write up what I know. So to do that I’m creating a timeline of what I know for branches of the family..adding images and putting unsolved questions in the document in red. It becomes a research log as well.

Do Ambrotypes fade when exposed to light?

Related Episodes:

Episode 125: Ask Maureen April 2021

Episode 117: Ask Maureen February 2021

Links:

• 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, Bett

I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your mystery images. And find out how each clue and hint might contribute to your family history. Find out more by going to maureentaylor.com and clicking on family photo investigations.

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