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Robert Pols

Family Photographs, 1860-1945: A Guide to Researching, Dating and Contextuallising Family Photographs (Public Record Office Genealogists' Guide) Paperback – February 1, 2002

by Robert Pols (Author)

8 ratings

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There can be few people who do not have a box or album full of fading photographs of half- forgotten ancestors somwhere in their home. These photographs can be a treasure trove of information for family historians. Apart from showing your ancestors looks, photographs can reveal much more about them, including their social class, profession and origin. This book is designed to help you research, date and contextualise these family photographs.

The book traces developments up to 1945, starting with the invention of popular photography in the mid-nineteenth century and continuing with the Box Brownie which made photography accessible to a wider public. It shows how to date photographs to a surprisingly accurate degree and how to interpret public and official photgraphs, as well as private ones. It includes sections on how to best present and preserve your photographs and features illustrated case studies with a fascinating selection of examples that help to explain the techniques involved.

Print length

176 pages
Language

English
Publisher

The National Archives
Publication date

February 1, 2002
Dimensions

6.5 x 0.5 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1903365201
ISBN-13

978-1903365205
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a book that will appeal to anyone with an interest in photography of family history" --Black and White Photography

About the Author

Robert Pols is a long established expert on understanding historic photographs. His previous titles include Dating Old Photographs, Understanding Old Photographs, and Looking at Old Photographs.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ The National Archives; First Edition (February 1, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1903365201
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1903365205
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.5 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,385,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,940 in Genealogy (Books)
- #38,973 in Photography & Video
- #306,129 in History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
8 ratings

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5 star		66%
4 star		21%
3 star		14%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Elsi M Vassdal Ellis

It is informative; my collection of photos from England ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

It is informative; my collection of photos from England are small so I probably could have survived without this book.

Helpful

L. Semashko

Helpful but........

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2008

Verified Purchase

I found this book to be helpful in researching family photos, however it has drawbacks. The book is very detailed about the history of photgraphy but far more detailed than I needed for help to date photos. Also the examples are from the UK not the USA. I would search for another source that is geared for an American interested in dating family photos.

7 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Ok but

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2008

I wish the second review had been posted before I bought this book! I was expecting a much more "manual" type book, with reference listings of various clues based on costume, photo type, etc. This book is written as a history, more or less, and you really have to page all through it to look for the information you need. There are no charts summarizing information whatsoever.

As noted, it has a UK point of view, and although this often doesn't make a difference, sometimes it does. For example, one paragraph talks about the advent of photo postcards and how you can date them depending on what the postal code required to be printed on them. However, this would be UK postal code, not US, so for my purposes useless.

One very aggravating aspect: although there are many, many photos throughout the book (at least one per page) they are not captioned with the date taken, but only referenced in the text, and often on a completely different page than the photo. I'm tempted to go through and note the dates on each photo, but I'm annoyed that I should have to do so. It seems a simple and obvious thing to omit, considering most readers are likely trying to date photos and would appreciate viewing the huge photo collection to link photo clues with date taken. They are printed in no chronological order either, so you can't even assume a photo placed later in the book was made after one that is placed earlier.

14 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Nottingham Lass

Surprised at such good condition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

Very pleased with the condition of this book, better than expected! Arrived on time. Prompt service from seller & will be more than happy to use again. Thank you.

Jo Bono

A book to own for research.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

Great book.

vanessa allen

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

Exactly what I wanted.

Roben Antoniewicz

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

excellent book, well researched, very interesting.

F SHARP

Valuable resource

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2014

Verified Purchase

Very useful in making sense of those late 19th century photographs that no one in the family can remember who they are.

One person found this helpful

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Family Photographs, 1860-1945: A Guide to Researching, Dating and Contextuallising Family Photographs (Public Record Office Genealogists' Guide) Paperback – February 1, 2002

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