Dating historical photographs
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| Dating photographs (print) |
Some photos come with a wealth of detail. You may be lucky enough to know who is in the photo, when and where it was taken, and sometimes even the name and address of the photographer!
On other occasions, the information you have will just open up other lines of enquiry, for example, one of the images below - from the Picture Queensland archive - is of the Albert Hotel, decorated for the visit of the Duke of Gloucester, Brisbane, 1934. But where was the Albert Hotel? Is it still standing? Who was the Duke of Gloucester? Why was he in Brisbane in 1934? The other image is of George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple. But who is he.. and why does he have so many names?
It is more likely, however, that you will have little or no information and will have to use some detective skills to work out its significance. But every feature in a photograph can be used to help you identify when, where and what. Study the photograph carefully, examining every detail. If you are working with an original, you should work from a copy to avoid damaging the original. Sometimes it helps to divide a photograph into a grid and carefully look at each section. This process sharpens students%u2019 observation skills and also helps in identification.
One of the ways is to set up an Identification Register (Gray, 1983). This might contain local details such as when a particular building or monument was erected, when electricity was introduced, when top hats were in fashion and so on. Some of these details might come from the photographs you have which do have information - it would be fairly easy, for example, to match photos of the Duke of Gloucester's visit to Brisbane by a simple visual matching.
But this information will more likely have to be researched in libraries and, in some cases, through outside authorities so students may have to write precise letters of enquiry to public authorities or complete requests for online information. Information could also be sought from the local historical society or from older residents. Over time, the Register will grow so that research should become easier and students will become quite adept at recognising particular people or events.
Your school's Identification Register would ideally be digital, as a database or spreadsheet, but could be recorded on index cards or in some other looseleaf format to allow it to "grow."
Albert Hotel, decorated for the visit of the Duke of Gloucester Brisbane, 1934 |
Match the clues in your photographs with the details in your Identification Register. Look for:
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George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple (1865) |
You could allocate different teams to research some of the following to add to your Identification Register:
- People. Accumulate biographical material such as births, deaths, marriages from newspapers. Post Office Directories and almanacs can help supply information on where people lived. Who was the mayor? Who were the family elders? Who was the Principal of the local school? Did someone famous like Bert Hinkler or Dame Nellie Melba visit? Was a famous athlete or sportsperson born in your area?
- Places. Does your area include places of natural, cultural or religious signficance? If so, record them and find out why they have such value. Are these places protected by law or respected as sacred sites?
- Natural events. Gather information about natural disasters such as floods, fires, and droughts from newspapers or by asking older residents.
- Community events. Is there an annual show, festival, or sporting carnival? When was it established?
- Historical events. Was something found or invented in your community? Was someone famous born there? Was your community where the Labor Party was founded or where Waltzing Matilda written? Make a time line of significant historical events.
- Vehicles and machinery. What sort of vehicles are in the street. Can you see wagons, sulkies, horses, carts, or trams? Establish when cars were first seen in your area and list when the different makes and models were on sale. If a number plate is visible, the date of issue might be established through a Queensland Transport search. Licence numbers on planes can be traced through aviation authorities. Look at trade journals to discover when different kinds of machinery were introduced e.g. industrial, agricultural, windmills, or traction engines. Railway enthusiasts can identify locomotives and carriage models.
- Roads. When were streets surveyed? When were different surfaces laid - gravel, cobblestones, asphalt, concrete? When were street lights introduced, and traffic lights? When was kerbing and channelling provided?
- Utilities. When were public utilities established - electricity, gas, telephone, postal facilities, horse trams, trams, buses, trains? Look for electricity poles in the street; when did such utilities go underground? When did the last "outhouse" disappear?
- Buildings. When were major buildings erected including public buildings, schools, churches, banks, shops, factories? Sometimes dates are recorded on buildings, sometimes the information can be obtained from local government records. Churches and other public buildings may have a brass commemorative plaque saying when the building was begun or when it was "officially" opened.
- Business houses. Find when shops, hotels offices were established. This can be done through checking business directories in almanacs, and Post Office Directories can establish where and when businesses began. Some businesses, particularly hotels, often have this information above their doors, that is, a sign saying Est. 1856.
- House styles. Build up a file on architectural styles and details from early huts to modern units and establish when the different styles were used. The Museum of Brisbane has prepared information on Queensland architecture which could prove to be very useful.
Last Modified: 11:17:14 Friday, 6 June, 2008
