At this time of year, I’m busy making lists of ingredients for Thanksgiving but I’m also starting to think about the holiday season. I have a few gift suggestions for the family historians on your list. Some fit in a Christmas stocking, others are online. You might want to drop a few hints to the gift-givers you know. At the end of the podcast, I have an offer for those of you that have been putting off learning photo-identification techniques. Here in the northeast winter is coming, and I’ll fi...
Nov 13, 2019•14 min•Ep. 63
November is National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo Have you ever thought about writing your family history? Well...now might be the time to start. My guest is an author who weaves fiction and non-fiction together into historical fiction. Real people live in her pages with a fictionalized context. Her stories are compelling reading. At our first meeting at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, she said she loved my Last Muster books of images of folks who lived during the Ame...
Oct 31, 2019•37 min•Ep. 62
If you’ve ever seen a piece of jewelry with hair in it, you’ve probably wondered what’s that about? While we associate hair jewelry with mourning, that’s not the whole story. My guest Sarah Nehama shared fascinating facts about mourning and memorial jewelry. A piece with her first name on it inspired her to start collecting these antiques. As a jewelry designerthese historical pieces influence the work she creates today. I hope you’ll be able to join me for my virtual Master Class: Dead or Alive...
Oct 23, 2019•36 min•Ep. 61
My mom gave me all the family photos. The earliest photo on my dad’s side dates to 1895. On her side, a cousin connected with me images from that time frame as well. All the pictures came from relatives. Now imagine a serendipitous family photo find. One that you didn’t expect. That’s what happened to me on an ordinary day no searching required. Photo historian William Darrah in his book Cartes de Visite mentioned that that every Civil War soldier was photographed. That statement isn’t as odd as...
Oct 16, 2019•22 min•Ep. 60
Vivid-pix Restore has a new tool for users. You can attach metatag to your images. If you haven’t tried Vivid-Pix Restore, you’re missing the Vivid-pix fix. Basically you select an image to add it to the program and in seconds you see nine versions of your image. Pick the fix that seems right to you and save it. Your original will stay as it is, but you’ll also have the restored version as well. Try it and see. Use vivid-pix.com/pd and try it for free. You can Improve the quality of your scanned...
Oct 09, 2019•33 min•Ep. 59
I have thousands of pictures on my desktop, my phone, and online. Finding exactly the right image to share with relatives was a nightmare. It could take days to scroll through all the pictures for just the right one. Then Christopher Desmond introduced me to MemoryWeb. I remember thinking how can one product do so much AND be designed for genealogists. MemoryWeb is one of my go- to tools. It’s a photo organizer that’s easy to use and that makes sharing/ collaborating a snap. Seriously. I can syn...
Oct 02, 2019•41 min•Ep. 58
You’re going to love my guest, Don Perry of the very successful new show on PBS, Family Pictures USA. It’s about people, places, photographs and the stories that connect them. Family Pictures USA travels across America showing us the connection between family photographs and family stories. Links: Sign up for my newsletter. Watch my YouTube Channel. Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos. Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Pho...
Sep 18, 2019•37 min•Ep. 57
As I watch the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian, I’m worried about the next disaster. My mind is thinking about When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the United States in 2012. It was not the powerhouse storm that Dorian is, but the effects were felt all the way into New England. On the New Jersey shore near Union Beach, family photographs started washing up on the beach. One woman took action and tried to rescue as many as possible partnering with the public library, enlisting the ai...
Sep 11, 2019•11 min•Ep. 56
In the early twentieth century child laborers worked in mills across America. Perhaps your ancestors did too. It’s possible. In 1900 more than 1.75 million children aged 10 to 15 were employed. A photo of your ancestor might exist. I'm a big fan of this week's guest, Joe Manning. He finds the photos and connects them with family. In 1908, the National Child Labor Committee hired a photographer named Lewis Hine. He spent more than a decade photographing child workers from New York to the Carolina...
Sep 04, 2019•37 min•Ep. 55
In August, I dedicated all my podcast episodes to family reunion focused activities and guests. Since it’s Family Reunion season, that means we’re pretty likely to be posing for a group portrait. It’s part of most reunions...a visual gathering of everyone at the event. We have dozens of pictures of my husband’s family reunion attendees In Episode 51 , Edith Wagner of Reunions magazine shared a story about a reunion photo where they use flat bed trucks to help with the layout. A recent news story...
Aug 28, 2019•20 min•Ep. 54
No gathering of my mother’s relatives is complete without hours of card playing. My mother taught us to play card games from an early age. That’s why as soon as I saw OurCards at a genealogy conference I was intrigued. Forget Bicycle cards. They are lovely but nothing compares to seeing your ancestral photos in a deck. Imagine your great grandmother as the Queen of Hearts. At the next gathering I’m going to bring a set and watch everyone’s expressions. Priceless! About My Guest: Tim Crowley Tim ...
Aug 21, 2019•26 min•Ep. 53
Our past is for sale. Our parent’s stuff and previous generations as well. You can find the most amazing things at flea markets. That’s what New Englander’s call these outdoor sales. I regularly visit two of these. In the summer months, the Providence Flea occupies a small space on the waterfront. If it’s there. I am too. It’s a mix of antique and collectible vendors as well as artist spaces. One of my favorite people to chat with is Peter Dumas of Picture This Antiques. He specializes in old ca...
Aug 14, 2019•15 min•Ep. 52
Does your family get together for family reunions? My husband’s family does. Every other year the clan gathers and a key part of the planning revolves around activities. We usually have a set schedule of what happens when. It’s part tradition and part common sense planning. My guest today is one organized woman. She’s the editor of Reunions Magazine/ While genealogists think in terms of family reunions there are a whole lot of different types of reunions from class reunions to military gathering...
Aug 07, 2019•32 min•Ep. 51
Scanning photos can be tedious work especially when you're digitizing slides. Imagine that there was a service that could do it for you. I'm not advocating sending out your original 19th century photos for scanning but there no reason why you couldn't use a service for late 20th snapshots and for all those slides. That's where ScanMyPhotos.com comes in. My guest today is Mitch Goldstone. He is co-founder and CEO of ScanMyPhotos.com which has professionally preserved 600 million happy memories, f...
Jul 31, 2019•37 min•Ep. 50
You probably know Mary Tedesco from The Genealogy Roadshow, a popular PBS genealogy based program that aired from 2013 to 2016. But did you know that Mary is also very involved with the Daughters of the American Revolution and is passionate to get more women patriots recognized by the organization. Women patriots? You’re probably wondering if that’s possible. It is. One woman, Elizabeth Caldwell Gillam of South Carolina Her photo appears in my Last Muster Series. I talked about her in episode 47...
Jul 24, 2019•32 min•Ep. 49
Finding a Home for the Hollenbergs Internet Archive National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections Catalog of American Portraits The Art of Family Watch my YouTube Channel. Like the Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos at https://www.facebook.com/MaureenPhotoDetective/ . Sign up for my newsletter. Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course . Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs onl...
Jul 17, 2019•20 min•Ep. 48
What were your revolutionary era female ancestors doing during the war? Our foremothers played crucial roles during the Revolutionary War. They followed their men folk caring for them daily. They kept businesses solvent and farms functioning while their men were away. Most of their contributions are unknown because so many women didn’t speak of their service. Some even raised up the musket. There are 27 women included in The Last Muster series. I mention three in this podcast ...a recognized pat...
Jul 10, 2019•17 min•Ep. 47
This episode is about one of my historical heroes.--Benson Lossing, who wrote a travelogue of the American Revolution, 75 years after the Battle of Lexington and Concord. It’s possible to follow in his footsteps even today. I did it and you can too. About Maureen Taylor: Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., Londo...
Jul 03, 2019•16 min•Ep. 46
Today's brides wanting a vintage wedding piece together historical details for every aspect of the wedding ceremony and reception. Their inspiration might be a family photo or a family story. In this episode, I discuss wedding planning tips and how they might just help you read the clues in your older family photos. The history of weddings can lead you to uncover a new family story. One picture at a time. About Maureen Taylor: Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photog...
Jun 26, 2019•19 min•Ep. 45
I have trouble leaving wedding photos in antique shops and so does my guest, Charlotte Sibtain. I love meeting other people passionate about photos. Charlotte is a London based researcher who has a hobby—collecting twentieth-century wedding photos. Her Instagram #Vintageweddingphotos feed features some of the images she’s rediscovered. In this episode We talk about wedding photos, how she started collecting, a reunion that will make you teary and more. Watch a clip from 7 Brides for 7 Brothers W...
Jun 19, 2019•27 min•Ep. 44
June is for weddings and graduations but sometimes the photo clues get mixed up. In this episode, I'm talking about wedding pictures and how to sort out the evidence. White dresses don't always signify a wedding sometimes it's a graduation dress and in other cases, it's just a summer dress. If the clues in the picture match what you know about an ancestral couple, you might have picture proof of their marriage even if you can't find the marriage record. Wedding dresses from 1900 to 1920 on Victo...
Jun 12, 2019•13 min•Ep. 43
Scott Fisher, host of Extreme Genes shares his search for a photo and how patience paid off. You won't believe the twists and turns in this story. About Maureen Taylor: Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada. She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances...
Jun 05, 2019•11 min•Ep. 42
The Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia has a new educational space. It mirrors the neighborhood that once occupied the spot where the museum stands. While at the Museum, I was given a tour of their new educational space, Revolution Place which is on the lower level of the museum. Curator Mark Turdo spoke with me about this exciting new space for children to learn about the Revolution and the hands-on experience incorporated there. He also told me stories of how children interact w...
May 29, 2019•18 min•Ep. 41
Ever wonder where the business of photography is going? That's the premise of this podcast. Find out why genealogists and image makers are facing the same struggles with managing their pictures. It's a word that begins with an M. The Dead Pixels Society, formed in 2009, provides news and information to businesses in the photo imaging area. My guest, Gary Pageau, is principal of InfoCircle LLC, a marketing communications company for photo/imaging businesses. The Dead Pixels Society is one of his ...
May 21, 2019•31 min•Ep. 40
Today’s podcast is special. A year ago the folks at Rootstech asked me to present a Ted Style talk at the conference. Of course, I said yes. These short-form talks are very popular on YouTube and at Live Tedx events. Our photographs reveal so much about our ancestors and provide us with new insights into ourselves. I worked with an amazing coach to put it together. Carol Cox of Speaking Your Brand helps individuals refine their message. I LOVE her podcast. There is a link in the show notes. Whil...
May 08, 2019•19 min•Ep. 39
This episode focuses on my Last Muster project. Almost two decades ago I started looking for images of individuals who lived during the American Revolution and into the age of photography after 1839. It’s been an amazing journey. Two volumes with a third in the works, two museum exhibits (one permanent at the Museum of the American Revolution) and three films. Thank you for joining me on this journey. It may seem surprising, many members of that generation survived into the age of photography, m...
Apr 24, 2019•35 min•Ep. 38
The Vivid-Pix Restore fix just got even better. A new patented process makes their picture improvement add new depth to your pictures. Randy Fredlund is back on the show to talk about his most recent patent and how the whole patent process works. Sign up for my newsletter at https://maureentaylor.com/. Links: Get a free trial by clicking this link: https://vivid-pix.com/RESTORE?pop_code=3pdPix Related podcast: A Vivid-Pix Redux https://maureentaylor.com/a-vivid-pix-redux/ Like the Facebook Page ...
Apr 17, 2019•25 min•Ep. 37
Ever wish you could use facial recognition software to compare your photos? Bob Schmitt created Visual Face Recognition to compare images. It's cool! One of his first projects was helping Las Vegas casinos catch card-counting MIT students using facial recognition technology Links: Sign up for my newsletter:https://maureentaylor.com/newsletter-signup/ Like the Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos at https://www.facebook.com/MaureenPhotoDetective/. Need help organizing your...
Apr 10, 2019•25 min•Ep. 36
A single photo of her grandmother Fannie inspired Rachael Rifkin's work. She focuses on bridging the gap between generations, cultures, and backgrounds by concentrating on our similarities and listening to each other's stories. Sign up for my newsletter at https://maureentaylor.com/. Links: Show Notes: Learn more about Rachel's images https://www.huffpost.com/entry/family-resemblance_b_6466714 Rachel Rifkin's website https://www.rachaelrifkin.com Like the Facebook Page so you get notified of my ...
Apr 03, 2019•24 min•Ep. 35
In this episode, I'm talking about sharing your photos online. Old photos and new ones. You won't believe what's a "thing" on Instagram and how our photos figure into developments in facial recognition. Sign up for my newsletter at https://maureentaylor.com/. Links: Show notes at https://maureentaylor.com/spring-cleaning-your-photos/ Like the Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos at https://www.facebook.com/MaureenPhotoDetective/. Need help organizing your photos? Check ou...
Mar 28, 2019•37 min•Ep. 34
