Why Organize?

You may be wondering what in the world you got into! You may think that nothing about your family or your life is noteworthy and would be of no general interest. “How is your life any different from a thousand others?” That very similarity may be reason a historian would find yours of interest. History is about ordinary people far more than it is about unique and distinct individuals. Some of the things you have lived through, some of the work you have done, or the places you have been may be valid subjects for professional research.

I have listed some of the reasons to organize your photos:

1. Historical account - the importance of people and dates is passed on to younger generations
2. To pass on family stories to family
3. Interview grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, family, and friends
4. Document family choices and how lifestyles evolve
5. Have people write down what they remember and place directly in albums
6. All your pictures will be in scrapbooks or photo albums where they will whisper to you
each time the books are opened and enjoyed
7. To review one’s life to understand it better
8. For the pleasure of reminiscing
9. To give an honest account of one’s life
10. To remember items that may become ‘extinct’

I hope you will continue with your project. I know the project is such a daunting task but you will be very grateful when you have finished. If you have done 300 photos by now, you are well on your way!!! Now, next . . .

You have made quite an accomplishment if you have sorted 200 pictures so far. I am going to talk today about other things to look for.

Many times photos will be out of order or pictures of the same landmarks may be taken from different trips. Pictures may be found in numerous places and create such a disarray that it may be difficult to put them in any sort of order. Sometimes the negatives have been misplaced or separated from the prints. I have found it helpful to combine groups by studying the printing materials. Look on the back to identify the printer of the paper and the symbols that were used. Sometimes the date when the pictures were developed may be stamped during printing. Snapshots printed on paper designed by the same company can be grouped together. The symbols used with the company name may indicate the approximate time period of development. For example, Kodak was an official sponsor of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA, and were allowed to use the logo of the five rings on their printing materials. Sometimes, the printing paper could have the country listed such as Germany that could tell you the events were overseas. Prints and/or negatives might still be in the original developing packets. Look for the date individuals wrote on the packets the day they turned their developed film in for processing. Keep in mind, the events may not have taken place anywhere near the time the film was developed. Years could pass before a roll of film is converted to prints or slides. The age of the film could be a detriment to the quality of the pictures and could make snapshots look more dated than they really are. It is important to develop the film into prints or slides quickly to maintain good color quality.

Some cameras stamp the date on each negative when snapshots are taken. This can be of tremendous help, but then again, the calendar on the camera has to be properly set to give an accurate date.

Are you ready to tackle the next 100 photos? Ok, let's get started . . .

With those first 100 pictures, you may be developing an idea when the snapshots were taken. There are many things to look at that will give you a clue as to the approximate year and place. Ages of people can be determined by counting birthday candles on a cake. Time frames can be cut out from fashions and hair styles. Locations and landmarks indicate particular places. Even automobile models and technology can determine a certain time period. The telephone is an excellent source to indicate the change in history. Seasons are marked by the landscape or holiday photos.

I use one of those long plastic storage bins to store and sort the pictures. Dividers are marked by years, then used to separate the photos. You can use index cards, manila folders, cardstock or anything bigger than the size of the pictures. Blocks of years are combined at first until you get all of the pictures together. Just getting started is a big accomplishment. You can then go back and organize the photos in more detail. Now . . onto the next 100 pictures.

Getting Started

So . . . you would like to organize your boxes and files full of disorderly pictures. These are actual physical pictures most likely taken the hundred years before the 'digital age'. Before you delve into the boxes, find a pair of thin protective gloves, either cotton or plastic, to keep dirt and oil from the photos and negatives. It is so much easier to create individual albums after you have managed to organize your snapshots chronologically. It helps to be able to sort in a room where you can leave your project set up. If you have the negatives, use a light box for viewing and place in negative sleeves. You can then put the photographs in order to match the negatives. Now do 100 at a time and then take a break to keep from being so overwhelmed. This will take quite a bit of time but the rest of your organization will flow smoothly once you have jumped this hurdle.