Tips on Dating a Photograph

Amanda Meeks

In this San Francisco Genealogy Group session, special guest Gawain Weaver will discuss how to date old photos. With the goal of providing a framework for dating, Gawain will discuss the history and visual characteristics of the four most common photographic processes: albumen prints, tintypes, gelatin silver prints, and c-prints. He will provide an array of tips and tricks for each photographic print type based on the physical nature of the print. For instance, how does a UV light help to date a print? What about the scalloped edges of that B&W print? Or the chocolate colored background of that tintype? As a photograph conservator, Gawain specializes in the physical attributes of prints, and he will …