Unlocking the Secrets in Old Photographs [Paperback]

Karen Frisch Dennen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1991

After years of photographic research, the author explains methods of analyzing photographs historically. She outlines how you can recognize architecture, clothing, monuments, and other objects in photos; and where you can find additional help.

The author's clear and expressive writing will teach you such skills as:

-The care and restoration of photographs
-Recognizing photo types
-Finding public sources of information
-Dating photographs and much more!

With Unlocking the Secrets in Old Photographs in your reference library, you can employ the illustrations and concise descriptions it includes to become an expert, regardless of your previous photographic knowledge.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Learn to analyze clothing styles and surrounding architecture to discover the hidden secrets in your photographs!

Product Details

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: Ancestry Publishing (February 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916489507
• ISBN-13: 978-0916489502
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,519,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One word is worth a thousand pictures: Awful, June 21, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Unlocking the Secrets in Old Photographs (Paperback)

The title would lead you to believe that those photos you found in the family bible may more easily be identified after reading this book. Think again. There is only one chapter, Chapter Three, that even comes close to delivering on its promise, i.e., "Dating Photographs: Clues to Identification." But even then, this chapter, like the others, is crammed with such drivel as "..a photo taken in America in 1885 cannot possibly be that of an ancestor who did not arrive until 1900." What? And another: "When you present photographs to relatives for identification purposes, you will be confronted with one of two situations. Your relatives either will or will not recognize the faces in the photos." No, I am not kidding. This is really the advice that is offered. The book is padded out with chapters such as "The First Step: Identifying the Family" and "Public Sources of Information." In a word, Awful

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars very basic, November 7, 2005

By 

Kathy F. Cannata "Rev. Dr. R. Cannata" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unlocking the Secrets in Old Photographs (Paperback)

The usefulness of this book to anyone who has spent any time at all with family photos is pretty limited. It covers the most basic apsects of the topic: dates for evolution of the various types of photographs, a little (very litttle) on dress styles, a decent (if dated) bibliography, ideas for gathering photos from relatives, furniture clues, etc. I read it through cover to cover in a day. The 190pp. could have been condensed to about a quarter that length.

I found chapter 5 on the technical details of photograph evolution was handy and the (single!) chapter on dating photographs (chap. 3) was decent. Then again a quick google search would have yielded most of this information online.

For a basic book on the topic, I prefer Maureen Taylor's more recent Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs (Betterway, 2000).

Far more helpful are the various books on costuming and details of clothing.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Useful Reference, April 17, 2001

By 

Linda Kleback (Lynn Haven, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unlocking the Secrets in Old Photographs (Paperback)

I find this book very useful. Author Karen Frisch-Ripley gives specific information on locating old photographs and using genealogical research techniques to identify the subjects pictured in them. She discusses the different types of photographs and clues in the photographs themselves that can help date them. She emphasizes the importance of carefully studying the persons, scenes, and objects in each photograph.