How to date old photos? The best tips on the web

Discover in this article our 5 favorite sites to learn how to date your old photos.

Some time ago, we shared some tips for you for Keep your family memories and even better - The 10 steps to treat your old family photos well. Today, browse these 5 websites to learn how to say your photos well ...

Before we start, we invite you to take a Small lesson on the history of photography.

1 - Date a photo between 1840 and 1930 - Genea-Logiques

The dimensions of the photographs, the characteristics of the cardboard support, the quality of the paper, the shape and the color of the edges of the photo and other details presented in this article will help you date your old photos.

2 - Photography in the 19th century - Guy Joly

« Renseignements sur les photographies de famille de 1850 à 1920 - moyens et particularités pour vous aider à les dater et les identifier », tout est dit ! Découvrez comment un infime détail (même sur vos albums photos !) peut vous aider à dater vos photos de famille.

3 - How to date old photographs - Nicole, Bull genealogy

Browse the synthetic painting on this site which lists the different styles of photos for 3 major eras: 1855-1865, 1870-1885 and 1880-1910. Simple and efficient.

4 - Recognize and date the photos - Annick Taisne, association through Franconville

Du daguerréotype au panotype en passant par l’ambrotype et le ferrotype, tous les formats et styles de photographies sont détaillés dans ce dossier.  De 1840 à après 1970, sont mentionnés les détails des photos d’époque - portraits, photos de famille, de baptême, photos atypiques, photographies scolaires… Un article très complet.

5 - Identify your old photos - Pierre Connolly 

Pierre Connolly puts at your disposal here a list of questions to help you easily date your photos: is it a negative or a positive? Is its support for paper, glass or a film? Is the paper waxed or oiled? Answer questions in their order of appearance. The plus? Some definitions at the bottom of the page to help you!

You are now ready to face your boxes full of family photos left without indication! Good luck…