Unless you are extremely fortunate to have a collection in mint condition, at least a few of your family photographs will need to be professionally restored or conserved. There is a lot of confusion about these two processes. Digital restoration is not conservation. The two terms are not interchangeable. Restoring an image is the process of re-creating the appearance of the object. Conservation includes several steps such as object examination, scientific analysis, research, and evaluation of the object's condition. All conservation work involves treatment to prevent future ...

The War of 1812 Although its events inspired one of the nation’s most famous patriotic songs, the War of 1812 is a relatively little-known war in American history. Despite its complicated causes and inconclusive outcome, the conflict helped establish the credibility of the young United States among other nations. It fostered a strong sense of national pride among the American people, and those patriotic feelings are reflected and preserved in the song we know today as the U.S. national anthem. Britain’s defeat at the 1781 Battle of Yorktown marked the ...

AN HISTORIC photograph has been discovered showing the workers who helped create one of North Yorkshire's most beautiful buildings.As a £150,000 English Heritage project to revive their work at Manor House, Mount Grace Priory, near Northallerton, is currently under way, the modern day team has recreated the fascinating photograph. The picture, which has been handed in anonymously by a local man, dates back to the 1890s and shows artisan workers employed by priory owner Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell. Sir Isaac was a keen advocate of the Arts and Crafts movement, which recognised ...

For the Next 12 weeks I will be doing a blog post series based on the Star Spangled Banner. Stay tuned every Saturday for a new piece of the story provided by the Smithsonian. On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those “broad stripes and bright stars” inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem. Key’s words gave new significance to a national ...

A photograph can be one of many processes in which light-sensitive media are employed to create a visible image. The prevalence of photographs allows us to forget that they are potentially fragile objects that can be easily damaged by careless handling, improper storage, and exposure to environmental influences such as light, humidity, and temperature.In caring for a photographic collection, it is important to know that various components comprise the structure of a photograph. The interaction of these components, with each other and with their environment, has a lasting effect on the ...

I wrote about early color images in Family Tree Magazine in the March 2010 issue. Here's a story about Levi Hill, one of photo history's most intriguing people. He claimed to find a way to make daguerreotypes in color. This is from the Smithsonian Magazine. A 160-Year-Old Photographic Mystery

Theresa Berghoff wrote that A White Bird Flying by Bess Streeter Aldridge gave her an understanding of aging and death. It was a sequel to Aldridge's A Lantern in Her Hand. Rose Marie Morrell of A Lifetime Remembered, LLC said that Winged Moccasins by Frances Farnsworth (out of print), a story about Sacajawea was influential. "After reading the book (on Christmas Day) when I was eight, I decided that I wanted to know the story behind the person who was a name on a page. Thus came my love of preserving personal histories to share each individual's unique life ...

If you've never watched Lorie Conway's DVD called Forgotten Ellis Island or seen the book, take a peek at this short video clip. The last time I was at Ellis Island some of these intelligence tests were on display. YouTube - Faces of the Feebleminded   Take time to scan the photos on Forgotten Ellis Island.

Emory University Saves Rushdie’s Digital Data - NYTimes.com Here's a nice article on digital decay and what one archive is doing about it. Have you read the chapter on digital preservation in my recently revised Preserving Your Family Photographs book?

Thank you to the staff of Reunions Magazine for mentioning my website that focuses on kids and family history. It appeared in the Feb/Mar/Apr 2010 issue of Reunions magazine. The current issue is online through April 30, 2010. Click on the magazine cover on the home page to open the issue.

25 Nostalgic Photos Comparing Past to the Present | WildAmmo.com This online exhibit of before and after photos is wonderful. I've always wanted to do something like this. Feel inspired, please send me your example.

  I never imagined that hair history would be so interesting.  In the March/April 2010 issue of the DAR magazine American Spirit you can read about hair in the Revolutionary War period. You won't believe it!

Lisa Kudrow was on the Today Show the other day talking about the American version of Who Do You Think You Are, which premieres tonight on NBC. Meredith Vieira mentioned how the hosts of that morning show had traced their family trees. That short sentence, made me think about my involvement in one of those Today Show segments. I actually had two opportunities to work with Vieira's producers, first on The View and then again on The Today Show. In both cases, I was able to turn up new information on her family. It was a lot of fun and I got to work with some really nice folks. You can ...

So will this new series encourage millions more Americans to trace their roots? The answer is probably yes. Can't wait to watch it. A photo credit for this image would have been great. It features Josh Taylor of the New England Historic Genealogical Society sitting with Sarah Jessica Parker in library's 6th floor reference area. Celebrities root through family history - The Boston Globe

Here's a short article on a new book about Real Photo postcards. How fun! Luc Sante's "Folk Photography: The American Real-Photo Postcard 1905-1930" Boing Boing