This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Emma Jolly, a professional genealogist and historical researcher, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She and Maureen dive into British ancestry, and how you can begin your research, or even elevate it for those records you may be missing. She was one of the researchers on an episode of the Wedding Detectives on the BBC. Related Episodes: Episode 31: A World War I Resource Episode 132: The Wedding Detectives Links: Emma Jolly The Wedding Dete...
Jun 19, 2022•27 min•Ep. 180
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Nancy Desmond, one of the co-founders of MemoryWeb, a platform dedicated to helping individuals save and store their family photos. In this episode, they discuss how to organize photos before uploading – which makes the process easier and even more fun for those digging into their photo collections. Related Episodes: Episode 134: Unlocking the Shoebox Episode 50: Scan Your Photos with Mitch Goldstone Links: Sign up for my newsletter. Wa...
Jun 12, 2022•26 min•Ep. 179
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Lawrence Verria, whose first book The Kissing Sailor , takes a look at an iconic World War II photo and how to identify it. In the perfect intersection between history and photo identification, Maureen and Lawrence discuss this famous photo, and how even a photo icon can leave plenty of mystery, and twists and turns to discover the answers. Related Episodes: Episode 75: One Man's World War I Journey Episode 105: Women in the Dark: Femal...
Jun 05, 2022•21 min•Ep. 178
I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your mystery images. And find out how each clue and hint might contribute to your family history. Find out more by going to maureentaylor.com and clicking on family photo investigations . Support the show...
May 29, 2022•31 min•Ep. 177
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by author Maud Newton – who recently published Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and Reconciliation . She and Maureen dive into what it means to have a skeleton in the closet, or an ancestor who didn’t live up to the same standards we do. It’s the embarrassing and shameful actions of our ancestors – and what to do about it – that drive this conversation. Or, as we discuss in the episode, “Everybody’s family is different and everybody’s family ...
May 15, 2022•31 min•Ep. 176
This week, Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Tom Butler, an artist whose work may be controversial to some listeners. Tom uses unidentified cabinet cards to create art, often altering the original image to enhance them, which begs the question if he is destroying the image, or creating something even better than before. Related Episodes: Bonus Episode: Stitching on Pictures with Stitchography by Emma Episode 153: Ellis Island Immigrant Photo Identified Links: Sign up for my newsl...
May 08, 2022•24 min•Ep. 175
This week, Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Greg Kozlick, who helped reunite a woman with long-lost wedding photos – in the story of a photo reunion that’s sure to tug on the heartstrings. Related Episodes: Episode 32: The Man Behind Dead Fred Bonus: Lost history Discovered in the Recycling with Paul Moar Links: Returning the Slides 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 hel...
May 01, 2022•13 min•Ep. 174
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by David Shields, Carolina Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina. The two discuss his work with cabinet cards, Motion Picture Photography, and the history of stars of the silver screen as told through images. Related Episodes: Episode 169: How to Spot a Daguerreotype Copy Episode 166: Picturing Frederick Douglass Links: David Shield collection on Pinterest Sign up for my newsletter. Watch my YouTube Channel. Like the ...
Apr 17, 2022•35 min•Ep. 172
This week Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, is joined by B. Wells Douglas, a professional photographer who has quite the following on the social media platform TikTok. B. Wells looks at slides that he’s found and digs deeper into their meaning, looking at who is in the photographs, and trying to examine why they may have been taken, who is in the photos, and what story they tell. He also dives into what it means to be able to afford camera equipment, and how our ancestor’s socioeconomic statu...
Apr 10, 2022•22 min•Ep. 172
Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined this week by Daniel Horowitz, Genealogist for MyHeritage. Daniel visits the podcast to discuss some of MemoryWeb’s new features, which are taking the internet by storm, or as he says, are “Cool and controversial all the same time.” With these new features, you can actually hear your ancestor “read” their life story back to you with a voice generated by MyHeritage. In addition, other new features are being developed and introduced in order to help at...
Apr 03, 2022•23 min•Ep. 171
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Peter Dumas who owns Picture This Antiques in Massachusetts. While he initially began working with vintage print advertising, he now has expanded to sell antique and vintage cameras. Peter and Maureen discuss cameras, snapshots, and photography with vintage cameras, as well as how the progression of digital technology has helped the expansion of the camera industry. They specifically look at the history of Kodak, Epson scanners, and Pol...
Mar 20, 2022•24 min•Ep. 170
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Erin Waters, who has taken over the family business of FineDags.com, a website that’s dedicated to helping individuals purchase daguerreotypes and understand more about their history. Maureen and Erin talk about how to spot paper photocopies of daguerreotypes Related Episodes: Episode 105: Women in the Dark: Female Photographers in the US 1850-1900 Episode 122: Reproducing History and Protecting the Past: One Cased Image at a Time Links...
Mar 13, 2022•23 min•Ep. 169
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by AJ Jacobs, who is the author of multiple New York Times Best Sellers. He and Maureen talk about how we’re all related – somehow. AJ’s work delves deep into how we’re all interconnected, and not only what that means, but how we can use that principle to approach our everyday lives. Related Episodes: Episode 153: Ellis Island Immigrant Photos Identified Episode 162 Preserving Your Life with Gaylord Archival Links: Sign up for my newslette...
Mar 06, 2022•27 min•Ep. 168
Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined today by Dave Wilson, who owns a Victorian Photography Studio in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Dave focuses on creating authentic tintypes and ambrotypes, focusing on small details from recreating Victorian poses, clothing, and style in the images. He explains his process for getting a photo “just right,” how he uses his camera to get the best side of his subjects, and how he goes about the chemical process for all of his work. Related Episodes: Episode...
Feb 20, 2022•24 min•Ep. 167
Today Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by the Sumner R. and Marshall S. Kates Professor of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, John Stauffer. John and Maureen dive into his book Picturing Frederick Douglass which has become a national bestseller. The two talk about images of Frederick Douglass, and how photos of individuals from history can give us a fuller picture of their lives. John delves into telling the audience more about Frederick Doug...
Feb 13, 2022•32 min•Ep. 166
Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined this week by Lora Vogt, who is the Curator of Education at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. She and Maureen discuss what was happening during WWI, and how photographs, amateur photographers, civilians, and soldiers, helped document a time that felt chaotic and ever-changing around them. They delve into the importance of photography and how it can be stabilizing in a word that’s only constant is change. Related Episodes: Episode 75: One Man’s Wo...
Feb 06, 2022•34 min•Ep. 165
This week, Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Becca Bender, the Curator, and Archivist of Moving Image and Audio Collections at the Rhode Island Historical Society. The two discuss the necessity of preserving home movies for genealogists, and how movie preservation gives insight into the lives of individuals in the past. Related Episodes: Episode 75: One Man’s World War I Journey Episode 65: Lost Films Needs Your Help! with Eli Savada Links: Sign up for my newsletter. Watch my You...
Jan 23, 2022•38 min•Ep. 164
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Danielle Cordovez, who is a senior librarian for the Music and Recorded Sound Division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. She and Maureen discuss how sound and music are achieved, and why that matters. They discuss how something as simple as a sound recording can show us how a generation speaks, and fill in clues that we may not know about our past. Related Episodes: Episode 137: Using Twitter for a Photo Reunion Ep...
Jan 16, 2022•23 min•Ep. 163
This week Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, is joined by Ariel Servadio, from Gaylord Archival, who helps museums and conservation professionals preserve our cultural heritage. Ariel and Ronda Buck developed YourStory™, a collection of the same archival-quality materials professionals use to make it simple for genealogists to preserve their own family history. Save 25 % on your Gaylord.com purchase with coupon code PD25 Save $10. on a single photo consult on MaureenTaylor.com with coupon code...
Jan 09, 2022•24 min•Ep. 162
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Amberly Russell, the Preservations Services Manager for the Permanent Legacy Foundation. Permanent is a platform dedicated to allowing individual users to preserve their photos, just as a museum would, through a digital platform. Related Episodes: Episode 95: How to Save Your Family Archive with Permanent.org Episode 92: What You Need to Know About Metadata with Christopher Desmond of MemoryWeb.me Links: Sign up for my newsletter. Watch...
Jan 02, 2022•23 min•Ep. 161
Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is back with her monthly “Ask Maureen” series in which she answers questions submitted by her followers about photos and photo-related items. In this month’s episode, Maureen tackles: How to donate material to an archive Should you keep the folios that come with photos Researching a photo mystery from Moldavia … and more! Give the episode a listen and find out the answers to these questions. Related Episodes: Episode 156 Ask Maureen November 2021 Episode 152:...
Dec 26, 2021•23 min•Ep. 160
This week, I take a look back on my most popular podcast episode from the past year. I’m joined by David Wood, the curator of the Concord Museum in Concord Massachusetts since 1985. David and I talk about the exhibits from the museum, and how some leave lasting impressions, not only on the community but in the history that it’s taken part in telling. We also discuss what it means to see history, not only as an adult, but also as a child, and how understanding how we look at history can help fost...
Dec 19, 2021•29 min•Ep. 159
I’m joined by Christopher Donovan, the head of the Providence, Rhode Island chapter of Pecha Kucha (don’t worry – we discuss how to pronounce it during the episode). Pecha Kucha is a storytelling device that pairs twenty slides, chocked full of images, within twenty seconds. It’s a race to captivate your audience, all while engaging in visual storytelling and is incredibly fun. Christopher and I also discuss what goes into making a Pecha Kucha, with Maureen having done her first just before the ...
Dec 12, 2021•22 min•Ep. 158
This week, The Photo Detective, Maureen Taylor, takes a look back at one of her favorite podcast episodes from the past year as she examines VintageAerial.com, a project dedicated to chronicling the rural areas of the United States. Maureen is joined by Fritz Byers, President, and CEO of VintageAerial.com, and Lance Roper of Customer Engagement as they discuss the need for preserving these areas and how the site has become dedicated to chronicling over 18 million images, all available for public...
Dec 05, 2021•36 min•Ep. 157
In this bonus episode, I’m joined by Emma Kilburn-Smith, a mixed-media artist and graduate student who lives in Calgary. Emma made a controversial splash on the social media platform TikTok when she began sharing her work taking vintage photos and embroidering onto them. Her passion for her work is astounding, and while many were worried at the idea of embroidering onto these photos, Emma makes certain that they tell the stories of the people she finds and helps to bring attention to these orpha...
Dec 03, 2021•28 min0
Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is back with her monthly “Ask Maureen” series in which she answers questions submitted by her followers about photos and photo-related items. In this month’s episode, Maureen tackles: How to tell if a painting frame is old, new, or important How to store and preserve glass slides How to scan in images with low resolution What lantern slides are … and more! Give the episode a listen and find out the answers to these questions. Join Maureen on her Facebook at t...
Nov 28, 2021•17 min•Ep. 156
This week, Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Jessica Rose Harpley, an Assistant Curator at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Specifically, Jessica works in the Department of Performance, Furniture, and Textiles. Maureen and Jessica discuss one of Victoria and Albert’s latest exhibits which Jessica helped curate. Called, “Bags: Inside Out” the exhibit examines the role that bags, be it handbags, briefcases, and yes, the Queen’s tiny purses are mentioned, and what role they...
Nov 21, 2021•32 min•Ep. 155
This week, the Photo Detective, Maureen Taylor is joined by Anthony Moss , a rabologist, or collector of walking sticks. He is the joint chairman of The Antique Walking Cane Society, a member of The International Society of Cane Collectors, based in the United States, and a speaker at Canemania, an international cane convention. I’m sure with a biography like that, you’re pretty sure what this podcast episode is about. After Anthony’s wife purchased him two canes, he became obsessed and started ...
Nov 15, 2021•34 min•Ep. 154
This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Louis Takács, a former librarian, who comes from a line of immigrants and refugees, which inspired a project to examine 20th-century migrant and immigrant lives from 1914-1925, using passport photos. One of the great hurdles that many fledgling genealogists face is Ellis Island. Known for being the spot where immigrants had to pass through for migration to the United States, Louis began to find emergency passport applications, which gav...
Nov 07, 2021•30 min•Ep. 153
In this month’s episode: *What did cabinet cards, cost? *What are the numbers on the back of snapshots? *What about writing on the back of photographs? *How can I determine if two photos are of the same person? Related Episodes: Episode 138: Ask Maureen July 2021 Edition Episode 125: Ask Maureen April 2021 Edition Links: Vivid-Pix Restore 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 organizin...
Oct 31, 2021•18 min•Ep. 152
