Old Photos can Tell a Story

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Over the weekend, my post was a review of a brand new book that will help you write interesting family stories. One section of the book addresses using old photos to help with the writing.

The photo above is me with my mother and father. You don’t want to give only a glance at a photo. Study it.

In this one, we’re told who the three people are because my mother wrote on the bottom. I know where the picture was taken because I recognize (now) The backyard of my grandmother’s bakery. Can you tell what era it is by my mother’s dress? And because if the black and white snapshot. All three of us are smiling. That means it was a happy occasion. You also know it is my first birthday. Because we are at Grandma’s small neighborhood bakery, I am fairly sure she baked the cake and put the one candle in it. I can also surmise that she took the picture. Can you also determine the season?  A hint is that my mother is wearing a short-sleeved dress. So, it is spring or summer. It is actually late May.

When you look at old family pictures, take in details as well as who is in the photo. Some old photos will trigger long-buried memories. Some will leave you with questions that will require more research, maybe some interviews with family members.

My husband and I went through an album that his aunt put together for our oldest granddaughter when she was very small. At the time, we wondered why this aunt, who had no children, chose our little granddaughter as the recipient. Now, years later, I think she chose the next family historian with her gift. She chose well as that granddaughter is a high school English teacher and a writer. Those old photos and the notations.with them could be the basis for many family stories.

Check out your own family photos from this generation and earlier ones to help you write your family stories. Remember to take time to study each photo. Ask yourself a few questions as to who, when, where, why. Ask others if you don’t know the answers.