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Just because an old photograph of your ancestors doesn't have names and dates written on the back, doesn't mean you won't find a variety of useful clues for your research. You can help to determine the date a photo was taken from items within the photo that represent a time period such as old cars, household items, clothing or hairstyles. There are a variety of Web sites which can help you to ascertain which dates a particular item or style may have been in fashion including such sites as: Gallery of Classic Cars, a photo gallery of classic cars from the past 100 years; The Costumer's Manifesto, photos of clothing worn from Ancient times to today and Hairstyle History, from the Costume Gallery. Other possible clues found in photographs include the size of the image, which can help you determine the type of photograph, and the photographer's imprint, which can lead you to the location and time period the photographer was in business.

More Tips for Dating Old Photographs

 ~ Kimberly Powell