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 Post subject: Help me date a photo!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:54 pm 
Natural Geek

Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:00 pm
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Dear all,

You're always very useful when I have 'photos that I want to get opinions on. Sadly, neither my parents or partner are particularly keen to look at these things in quite as much depth as you geeks (fondly meant!) so here's something else for you.

Simply put, one of the first exciting photographic records I found was when rooting 'round in my Nan's photo box as a child. I found the attached photos. Quite clearly, they all show a single day out in the park. Nan is there, as is Grandad. However, when were the photos taken? It's somewhere from late 40s through to early 60s, but closer than that I cannot pinpoint.

So I'm going to decide on a date...via the law of averages. Simply have a look at the photo and decide how old you think the people in it are. I'll take the results, add it to their birthdates (which I'm not going to tell you yet for fear of influencing the outcome!) and then I'll be able to date it to something less vague.

So, how old d'you think this lot are, then? One thing to bear in mind is how much older people tended to look 'back then'

(left to right Gladys, Doug, Sal, Gladys again, Walter, Sal, Fred, Walter (again), Gladys (again again!) and Doug)

Huge thanks in advance to anyone who contributes!
Attachment:
bray outing.jpg
bray outing.jpg [ 187.22 KiB | Viewed 6668 times ]


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:12 pm 
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Mmmmm geeks--fondly meant or not---methinks is the wrong thing to say.

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:54 pm 
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I think these photos date from the early 1960’s. Note the younger mans thin tie and suit lapel.


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:05 am 
Natural Geek

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Gloria,

Sorry if I've offended you! I take 'geeks' as a term of endearment, myself. I seem to have also acquired it as a description on this forum...!


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:30 am 
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You didn't offend me Stephen, just thought it may offend someone, but accepted anyway.
Mel's sense of humour :roll: look what she calls me, and if you knew me you would laugh :lol:

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PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:40 am 
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The lady in the hat is wearing a shirtwaister dress which was popular in the 50's, the other lady appears to have a fitted suit popular in the middle/late 50's. I would think you are looking at late 50's early 60's.

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PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:35 am 
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Gloria/Leaver,

Thanks for the fashion details! I hadn't ever considered dating photos on the fashion shown within before. My knowledge of such things is very slim indeed, unfortunately. Hadn't even heard of the term 'shirtwaister'. I remember when I was a kid, though, thinking that the lady in question Venerable Auntie Gladys (doesn't everyone have a Venerable Auntie Gladys?) was a nurse, judging by her dress!

Late 50s/early 60s is what I had been expecting, too. I was just wondering whether it would be possible to get any closer by trying to give actual ages to the people within. My own estimation of their ancestral ages puts the year at about 1957, which would tie in, I guess...

And Gloria, I have been amused by lots of epithets on this board. Feel quite proud to be one of the chosen few who spend too much time on here and have thus ended up with one :)

Stephen


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:42 pm 

Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:27 am
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I have a wedding photo from 1961 and the groom wore a suit with narrow lapels like the men in your photo.

There are often articles in Family Tree magazine that date photos according to the clothes, jewellery and accessories. There's definitely an eye for minute details there.

Joan


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:45 pm 
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Robert Kennedy, July 1960. Two button suit with small lapel and striped skinny tie.
http://ubercalifragilisticxpialidocious.tumblr.com/


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 12:26 am 
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Photo Dating by Fashions http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http ... GQONCLuIoK


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:19 pm 
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Thanks for the reply to this!

Interesting website!

The intent of my original post had been to see whether people could guess at the age of those being photographed. I had intended to take average predictions and date the photo from that (as I knew the dates of birth of all the participants).

For example I'd thought that lady sans hat (my Nan) looks about 53 or so.
Lady with hat (Great Aunt Gladys) looks more like 56.
Large chap (Great Uncle Doug) about 50.
Chap with slim tie (Grandad) about 49.
Other chap (Great Uncle Walter) - about 57.

Judging by their years of birth, this would give the photo a date of either 1957, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1970 depending on who we're going with. Thus average age/guess of photo would be 1964.

Which I think might be a couple of years too late, which is why I was hoping for more guesses!


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