Vintage Photos

Vintage photos are interesting for many reasons. They show us the past, the change since then, family life, past events, and so on. You need to understand the time period to properly date a vintage photo . A common method used for this purpose is comparison with other photographs from the same time period. Collectors such as the Family Chronicler typically keep a wide range of dated photographs and these can be used in order to properly date another photograph.

When photography first became popular it was only used on formal or special occasions. This meant that people would wear their best set of clothes for the photograph. The photograph itself might be taken in the studio or on location but the process itself added a polish to the main event. As a result a vintage photo includes elements like furniture, curtains, clothes, neckties, hats, bonnets, hairstyles, and so on, that make identification through comparison an easy process.

The photographic process itself is also helpful in dating. For example, a Daguerre style photo automatically dates to the mid 1800s. The case would be heavily decorated and the photo itself would be on a copper sheet covered with silver and attached to the glass with a foil-like brass frame. Sometimes the image in silver may be dulled using silver sulfide; the same way silver items tarnish.

Soon after this the Calotype prints came into use. These were the first photographs to be printed on paper. These are mostly found in museums and are quite yellowed. Following this was the Ambrotype prints that were negative images imprinted on glass. They were made to look positive by keeping them against a dark background. The whole thing was kept in a protective case made of die-cut brass frame, gilt borders, and black paper backing. The skin was colored and the lips and cheeks were tinted with pink color.

Vintage photos also include stereographs that were taken from 1849-1925. These were actually two photographs of the same scene taking from slightly different angles. You are meant to see one image through each eye. This creates a binocular vision like effect. The resulting image in the mind combines the two photos to create the illusion of a three dimensional image of the scene. Stereographs are used today in aerial photography to give depth to aerial photographs.

Wet-plate printing appeared between 1853 and 1902. This brought cameras out of studios and practically everywhere. These When photography first became popular it was only used on formal or special occasions. This meant that people would wear their best set of clothes for the photograph. The photograph itself might be taken in the studio or on location but the process itself added a polish to the main event. As a result a vintage photo includes elements like furniture, curtains, clothes, neckties, hats, bonnets, hairstyles, and so on, that make identification through comparison an easy process.

The photographic process itself is also helpful in dating. For example, a Daguerre style photo automatically dates to the mid 1800s. The case would be heavily decorated and the photo itself would be on a copper sheet covered with silver and attached to the glass with a foil-like brass frame. Sometimes the image in silver may be dulled using silver sulfide; the same way silver items tarnish.

Soon after this the Calotype prints came into use. These were the first photographs to be printed on paper. These are mostly found in museums and are quite yellowed. Following this was the Ambrotype prints that were negative images imprinted on glass. They were made to look positive by keeping them against a dark background. The whole thing was kept in a protective case made of die-cut brass frame, gilt borders, and black paper backing. The skin was colored and the lips and cheeks were tinted with pink color.

Vintage photos also include stereographs that were taken from 1849-1925. These were actually two photographs of the same scene taking from slightly different angles. You are meant to see one image through each eye. This creates a binocular vision like effect. The resulting image in the mind combines the two photos to create the illusion of a three dimensional image of the scene. Stereographs are used today in aerial photography to give depth to aerial photographs.

Wet-plate printing appeared between 1853 and 1902. This brought cameras out of studios and practically everywhere. These vintage phots were usually big because the prints were large. The coating was not even and sometimes even showed fingerprints.

s were usually big because the prints were large. The coating was not even and sometimes even showed fingerprints.