Old photographs are wonderful items to look at because they can offer such a wealth of information. Obviously, some contain more information than others and all are worth viewing, but there is frequently that special one that stands out. What often happens with the special examples is that they give you the opportunity to gaze “into” the image, to enlarge a piece of an image to see more detail, to actually see something that may not have be readily visible at first glance.
Not long ago in a discussion with a person who was going over some decades-old photo albums, we learned of a example of finding great information by looking a little more deeply than you might normally do.
This person noted a gentleman in the background of a group photo that was accurately dated and captioned.
The strange thing here was that, according to family history, this man had died by the date in question. It turned out that the family history contained an error that, until someone really peered into this old family print, had not been identified. A closer look resulted in a family history update.
Having an extra close look at a street view can often tell some wonderful things about an area and even lead to more questions. Not long ago, a colleague recounted a story of solving a mystery related to an old family house and a small gazebo that appeared to have been in the backyard. The problem was that there was no gazebo in any family photo and no memories of it with any current or immediate past generations.
This was solved by someone reviewing family photos of another home two blocks away.
In the distance in a print was the framework of a gazebo in the yard of the home in our little mystery. There was supposed to be a gazebo, but it was not completed and was torn down. A few remembered it generations ago, but just enough to prompt a localized mystery.
Old photos can be wonderful items – they have so much to really see.
Interested in New Westminster historical photographs and some close up photographic analysis?
This can be great fun. Come out to the New Westminster Historical Society on Wednesday, June 21, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the New Westminster Public Library at 716 Sixth Ave., uptown.
