In the mid-1860s, walking skirts featured cords to pull up the hem so the fabric would not drag on the ground. Many necklines showed low in front and very high at the back of the neck. Dec 20, 2015 - Explore Niki Lee's board "Dating Old Photographs", followed by 112 people on Pinterest. Wide-legged lounge pants showed up at home or at the beach. Old Life Magazines are full of pictures of people. Third Step: Date the design of the card and fashion changes Go Here. Popular prints included polka dots and tropical flora. The waistline rose to more natural lines. Blouses were highly embellished with layers of lace, ruffles, and ribbons. I started by using Google and the resources I compiled for the article Dating vintage photographs by clothing & hairstyles to analyze specific elements. The University of VermontThe site for the university’s Landscape Change program offers a wealth of information about dating vintage/antique photographs using cues such as women’s clothing, hats, hairstyles, fashion accessories & mens fashions. Suits, coats, and sweater often sported a long, low slung lapel. Styles bleed over into the next decade, and some women embrace the styles of youth even after those fashions become passe. Some young ones wore short socks with a wide, circular skirt. Lucky for me there is a calendar in the background! Sleeves were wide at the top and tapered toward the wrist. The slim line extended below the hips where the dress was elaborately decorated with ruffles, ribbons, bows, and puffs. Bobbed hair was simple with less perming but gentle waves. One exception is when people dressed in period costumes for parties. Knowing what to look for and what is suggested by hair and clothing styles can assist us in identifying the person or people in our unidentified family photographs. Pale lipstick is obvious even in black and white photos. Military uniforms change over the years. National Archives of Norway; wikimedia commons; no known copyright. Earrings often dangled and were ornate. Pagoda sleeves of the early part of the decade were narrow at the shoulder and wide at the wrist, worn with white undersleeves which peeked out above the wrist. stand up collar with wide gap Top 10 Resources to Help Date Your Old Photographs. By the mid-1920s hemlines rose to the knees. Fourth Step: Images of ladies roughly dated by year (1860-1952) Go Here. Yolked bodices show horizontal seams that extend from the upper arms across the chest. Example: Dating An Antique Baby Picture. Outfits appear somewhat high waisted. Second Step: Find your carte-de-visite photographer A-Z Go Here. Tunic tops hung below the hips. I have a lovely picture of a great aunt dressed like Marie Antoinette. Late in the decade, casual style offered blue jeans, tee shirts, chunky boots, and sandals. As the style faded, women could be seen with longer, parted bangs. Large sunglasses were worn by everyone. Shift dresses and shirt-waisted dresses came in floral or geometric prints. Trying to identify ancestors while looking at old photographs can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you have one of those families where the same face reappears every generation or so. If your family member is wearing a World War I uniform, you can guess the picture was taken between 1915–1918. If children are in the photograph, the hairstyle can indicate the gender of the child. Clothing is a very good indication of when a photograph was taken. The Great Depression introduced a new conservative style. Hemlines could be just below the knee or mid-calf. Likewise the lady in picture reference 14 wearing a pale dress/jacket next to her is wearing a modern garment with sleeves in the new cut where they dropped slightly down the arm. Analyse the fashion and hairstyles. Smitten immediately? The Wizard will date your photograph to within a 9 year time span or less, if not, we will custom date your photograph personally at … Several photographic techniques were popular in the 19th and 20th centuries and knowing how your photo was made will help you figure out an approximate date for when the photo was taken. The hippie look of the past decade continued on for some time. Photographs published in newspapers can be used to study early fashion trends—but only after 1879. What our ancestors wore and what accessories that appear in the photograph can also help us. By Infrogmation of New Orleans on wikimedia commons. ... Top 10 Resources for Dating Old Photographs; Clothing and Accessories. In the late 1860s, the bolero jacket ended above the waist, was worn open, and was decorated with braiding. Hems grew shorter. If the subject of your picture lived in a city, clothing style will better reflect the style of the day than if she lived in a rural area. Hemlines rose to mid-calf and skirts widened in the War crinoline style. This is easiest if the subject is female as women's fashions change more quickly than for men. That is not to say that all older, rural, or lower class people were way behind the time. Identifying and Dating Old Cabinet Card Photographs - ThoughtCo. Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. She is offering to help a handful of community members date their historical family photographs. Start with an encyclopedia type book that presents clothing from an extended period of time. A quick glance at your box of images will tell you all photographic techniques are not the same. How to Date Old Photographs by the Costume; Australian Fashion; Photographers. it can be dated from the clothes and the hairstyles, it appears to be taken in front of an extremely early telephone exchange jacks for only 50 lines. Women's garments often made significant changes within a five-year span so you may be able to pinpoint a photograph into a small range of time. Pictures of younger women typically show contemporary style trends. Fashion trends can only offer clues to the age of a picture. Bows were everywhere, on skirts and bodices, and were often very large. Chunky heeled and high platform shoes were popular. The image can be on copper, glass, tin, or paper. The crimped, bobbed hair; horizontal headbands; and jaunty air date this photo to the 1920s. Sleeves fit tightly at 3/4 length or to the wrist. As the decade progressed hemlines shortened to mini skirts. Saddle oxfords or tennis shoes were worn with jeans. Look for trench coats and military cut jackets. Jewelry was cheap and chunky. PhotoTree.com– The Gallery section is fantastic for helping you identify your ancestors by the fashions they wore over time. Some of my earlier GenealogyBank Blog posts provided other tips for dating undated photographs, including one showing how historical newspapers can assist greatly with photo dating by comparing the clothing of people in your undated photos to clothing styles shown in old newspaper advertisements. If you need assistance putting a story to the photographs in your collection, Legacy Tree Genealogists can provide a well-researched narrative history of an individual, a couple, or an entire family. Suits featured tight pencil skirts. Victoria and Albert MuseumThe London’s museum’s helpful section on dating clothes and photographs uses items from the V&A’s collection to illustrate the dominant trends of the decades between 1840 and 1960, and is helpful even when investigating photos taken outside Great Britain. Knee length hems, simple design, shoulder pads and longer hair date this one to the 1940s. Also note bangs indicating. But with a little knowledge about what people wore throughout history, dating your photograph can become much easier. Punk and disco were popular. Snapshots that show a house can help if you know when your family lived in that house. I found a wonderful old photo of a young woman dressed in like a cabaret entertainer. Index of UK photographers up to 1950. Hats were brimmed, sometimes wide brimmed with flat crowns. 1840 - 1910, Infants and Toddlers. The clothing can also be an indicator in the age of a picture, women whether they lived in the country or the city for most photographs would be wearing the latest fashions. For instance, the portraits at right were labeled, so I know them to be my grandmother’s two grandmothers — and the photo albums they came from suggested that the photographs were taken in the 1880s or 1890s. Even when people began to use their own cameras, subjects were often posed. Later in the decade, sleeves loosened and featured light vertical puffs above the shoulder and were gathered at the wrist. If I needed more data points, other style cues I could research would be the fit of the dresses, the hairstyles, and their jewelry. Casual clothing became more prevalent in the 1950s. That way, you can study hemlines, skirt draping, sleeve length, and waistlines. Prints came in geometric Art Deco styles, dots, floral, and novelty prints. Learn tips and hints and examples to help you to achieve a date within 5 years either way of the photo ‘s original date. Hair was drawn up into a loose bun. Photographs With Several Clues, Making Them Fairly Easy to Date V-necks were often decorated with a bow. U.S. Library of Congress; wikimedia commons; no known copyright restriction. Consider the hair and clothing of the person or people in the photograph. Related story By examining the style of fashion worn by the subjects in an old photograph, it is possible to deduce the approximate date it was taken. Look at the background for clues. Early 60s hair puffed large and smooth. Skirts gathered toward the rear forming a soft bustle. Here is an overview on past fashions to get you started in your research. Having learned in the previous blog how photograph compositions and studio settings changed over the years, we now look closely at what our forebears are wearing in old photographs. It’s as true now as it was 150 years ago: the fashions people wear are indicators of their times. A wide variety of mid 60s styles including bouffant hair, short skirts, go-go boots, middriff top, and Bermuda shorts. Dolores's interest in fashion history dates from her teenage years when vintage apparel was widely available in thrift stores. During the 1890s, women's clothing simplified and appeared quite conservative compared to the ornate styles of the previous decade. By the mid-decade, the skirt appears flatter in the front with most of the volume toward the rear. Topper coats were large and loose, worn over slacks or slim skirts. We will date the photograph by that hat and I think it is 1910. High necks worn for daytime featured lace and ruffles. 1908 saw a new slimming style paired with gigantic hats often decorated with feathers. Long ties and bow ties were plain or frilly. You are looking for clues. identify the type of photographs could result in the identification of the time of the photograph taken, in terms of years (decades/ era). A casual new look featured jersey knits, sportswear, pleated skirts and sweater sets with long, loose, pocketed cardigans. State Library at Queensland, Austrailia; wikimedia commons; public domain. The bell sleeves of the late 1860s were cut so they curved up on the underside of the forearm. Well, of course, they didn't have photography in those days so the picture could not have been from the 1790s. Look at books as well. 1900–1910: The huge hat on puffed hair, the loose fronted, yoked blouse decorated by tons of lace date this photo to the early 1900s. Photo Dating Notes: black collar with wide lapels, matching plaid tie and waistcoat/vest with wide collar, hair combed forward, narrow sleeves. Hair was gathered tightly at the sides of the head and piled into elaborate coils on the top and toward the back. One method is to study what kind of clothing a subject is wearing in a portrait. 1910–1920: Simple collars and above the ankle hemlines date this picture to the 1910s. People dressed their best for these portraits in new, fashionable garments. Photo Dating Notes: cravat. Necklines were low and square for evening. The late 70s saw a longer waistline and a very long bodice that fell below the hips and could reach the knees. While we associate the time with flappers, more conservative women still wore shorter hemlines than in the past. Slogan tee shirts were worn with jeans. Women's clothes were ornate and highly decorated with embellishments. Examine your photograph to determine which type it is. Accurately dating an old family photograph can be a difficult task. Though the shirt waist and dark skirt remained popular, new new, soft femininity returned but with looser corseting. If you have trouble identifying the type yourself, a local photographer may be able to help. But for these, identifying clues such as the type of photograph, or the fashion subjects are wearing in the photo, could be important clues in … Photo Dating Notes: Mustache, cravat/bowtie, stand up collar with wide gap, waistcoat/vest with shawl collar . Shoes and footwear may not be helpful in very old photos. Narrowing the date range a photograph was taken will narrow down the potential candidates the people can be. Sleeves in 1898 were tight with a high puff ball at the top of the arm. By identifying the type of photographic technique used to create your old family photos, it is possible to narrow down the time period when the photograph was taken. Skirts were often decorated with frills, trim, or heavy flounces. Some helpful books include: Out of Style - An Illustrated Guide to Vintage Fashions by Betty Kreisel Shubert, Dressed for the Photographer - Ordinary Americans and Fashion 1840 - 1900 by Joan L. Severa. Note large sleeves; light blouse tucked in dark skirt, ties, and straw boater hats suggest the 1890s. 1860s: Pagoda sleeves, low set shoulder line, flounced hoop skirt, and central part in her hair suggest this picture was taken in the 1860s. And less well off women with good sewing skills could copy high-end fashion using inexpensive fabrics. A naval look cropped up in wide-collared, V-neck blouses with loose bows. It's your biggest clue if you're looking at a snapshot. The sides often appear to be bobbed. Sportswear became prevalent. The photograph below (the cabinet card from above) dates to … Young women often wore jeans that were sometimes rolled into a cuff. Loose, carefree hair, denim jacket and pants, short waistline, and natural look suggest the 1970s. Restrictions on the use of materials used to make clothing (due to WWII) resulted in knee-length hemlines and simple, classic lines. Sarah Levitt, Fashion in Photographs 1880-1900 (London: Batsford, 1991) Audrey Linkman, The Victorians: Photographic Portraits (London: I.B. Sometimes the lag was only a few years. Email your old family photographs, along with any information you have about the photo and the person (s) in it to social@ancestry.com. It’s all in the (style) detailsFamilyChronicle.com demonstrates how to decipher the little details in photographs — such as the sleeve type and kinds of neckties. The princess line was a dress without waist definition. Bustles disappeared by the end of the decade. Topics include evening attire, fashion accessories and even bathing costumes and undergarments. This new section below is devoted to dating old photographs and pictures by analysing costume, fashions, hats & jewellery worn by the wearers in the photos. The end of the decade saw a return to the looser sheath type dresses that would continue into the 1920s. It's handy t… Denim was king. Even if you think you’re on the right track, identifying fashions can help you confirm information. But this doesn’t mean you have … Bangs appeared in the mid-70s and were often crimped. Peasant skirts, dresses, and skirts featured embroidery and loose, wide sleeves. Early 1870s bustles set high, then lowered toward the end of the decade featuring layers decorated with ruffles or edging. 1890 featured tight sleeves with a slight puff above the shoulder. See "History of Photographic Processes". I have few really old photos in our collection — I mean ones that date back into the really early 1900's and mid to late 1800's. Photo Detective: Dating Women’s Clothing By Maureen A. Taylor Premium Sometimes photographs submitted to this column come with extensive explanations of the images while others are accompanied by a plaintive question for clues to identify the person and time frame. 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