Identifying Ancestor Photos: Daguerreotypes

Photography arrived in the United States in 1839 thanks to Samuel F. B. Morse, an American artist and inventor. 

Genealogists often have old family photos in their possession or they find some in Great Aunt Matilda's attic. But how do we know when the photograph was taken? One method is to determine what type of photograph it is. The earliest type is the Daguerreotype.

Identifying a Daguerreotype

Morse visited Daguerre in Paris in March 1839 and observed a demonstration of the daguerreotype process. He returned to the United States to spread the news, and by the end of 1839 some larger cities on the East Coast had very successful portrait studios.

Every daguerreotype is a unique image on silvered copper plate.  Daguerreotypes are small, usually about 2x3 inches and they tarnish easily. What else makes it unique? 

Daguerreotype Cases

Daguerreotypes are fragile and were always put in protective cases. Here are a few from my personal collection.

 This is a daguerreotype from 1854

This daguerreotype of a woman in formal evening wear is from the Civil War era.

 

A rare beautifully decorated double case holding a daguerreotype on side, an ambrotype on the other 

Learn More

Watch my video Five Types of Early 19th Century Photographs

Read more about daguerreotypes on Lost Faces website

Help Dating an Old Family Photo

A question was asked on a Facebook group about this photo. Audrey M. asked the group "Does anyone know how I could try to find the date of this photograph?"

I thought I would answer here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog.


To date photographs, first detemine the type. This is a cabinet card which were not used until ca 1870. 

Next determine when the photographer was in business. Narrow the years this way. A check online for the Maitland Photography studio in Stratford, Ontario Canada reveals that the owner, George Maitland, did not establish his photography business in that town until 1876. His first studio was on Market Street and that is where this photograph was taken. George was in business for about 30 years (perhaps a little longer) so we can estimate this cabinet card photo was taken between 1876 and 1906 or slightly later. 

Searches of available Stratford City Directories reveals that in 1888 George Maitland's studio was still on Market Street but in 1896, Maitland Photgraphy Studios was on Downie Street. Thus we have narrowed the year of the cabinet card even more.

Next we start looking at clothing and hairstyle clues. The adult woman's hairstyle is ca late 1880s to early 1900s but it could be narrowed down even more. Using the reference book "Out-of-Style:A Modern Perspective of How, Why and When Vintage Fashions Evolved" by Betty Kreisel Shubert
I see that her hair with its flattened "spit curls" was in style 1880-1890s.

Her dress with its tight fitted bodice looks like ca late 1880s to early 1900s as well.The children's clothing is confusing me slightly as the boys with their knickers look to be in the early 1900-1906 range. But the girls are wearing the yoke-style dresses framed with ruffles which was popular in the 1890s.  The 1890s also saw huge balloon style sleeves. I'm leaning towards dating this photograph in the late 1890s.
 
Here is a place to start reading up on some basic clues http://www.lostfaces.com/photo-clues.html

Identifying Ancestor Photos: Cabinet Cards

Genealogists often have old family photos in their possession or they find some in Great Aunt Matilda's attic. But how do we know when the photograph was taken? One method is to determine what type of photograph it is

Photography arrived in the United States in 1839 thanks to Samuel F. B. Morse, an American artist and inventor. The earliest type is the Daguerreotype. Ambrotypes followed, coming into use circa 1854. 1860 saw the Cartes de Visite becoming popular and the larger Cabinet Cards began to slowly replace the popular CDVs in the mid 1860s.

Cabinet Cards

Cabinet Cards were basically a larger version of the earlier Cartes de Visite. Photographs on paper were pasted onto a large stiff backing measuring 6.5 x 4.25 inches. Photographer logos can be found on the front or verso and were often very elaborate. Around 1880 the cards became more elaborate, sometimes having gold or silver edges. At this time the colour of the cards began to change to darker tones and black, burgundy and deep green became popular.

Examples of Cabinet Cards 

 

1877 Cabinet Card

 1882 Cabinet Card

 

1900 Cabinet Card

1890s Cabinet Card

Learn More

Watch my video on Five Types of Early 19th Century Photographs

Read more about Cabinet Cards on Lost Faces website

Identifying Ancestor Photos: Daguerreotypes

Photography arrived in the United States in 1839 thanks to Samuel F. B. Morse, an American artist and inventor. 

Genealogists often have old family photos in their possession or they find some in Great Aunt Matilda's attic. But how do we know when the photograph was taken? One method is to determine what type of photograph it is. The earliest type is the Daguerreotype.

Identifying a Daguerreotype

Morse visited Daguerre in Paris in March 1839 and observed a demonstration of the daguerreotype process. He returned to the United States to spread the news, and by the end of 1839 some larger cities on the East Coast had very successful portrait studios.

Every daguerreotype is a unique image on silvered copper plate.  Daguerreotypes are small, usually about 2x3 inches and they tarnish easily. What else makes it unique? 

Daguerreotype Cases

Daguerreotypes are fragile and were always put in protective cases. Here are a few from my personal collection.

 This is a daguerreotype from 1854

This daguerreotype of a woman in formal evening wear is from the Civil War era.

 

A rare beautifully decorated double case holding a daguerreotype on side, an ambrotype on the other 

Learn More

Watch my video Five Types of Early 19th Century Photographs

Read more about daguerreotypes on Lost Faces website

Don't Miss My New Website Lost Faces!

Sarah (Page) Simpson 1840-1920

When I was about 11 years old, my grandmother gave me this photo of her grandmother (my great-great-grandmother), Sarah Simpson. Grandma told me it was taken in Ramsgate England sometime in the 1890s.

I was fascinated - she wore such a beautiful ornate hair piece! The gorgeous blouse or dress thrilled me with its ruffles and high collar. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I had part of this fine lady in me, in my blood and my genes.

I learned a lot about Sarah - widowed at the young age of 34, and pregnant with her 5th child, she was forced to work as a charwoman to feed her children. 

Not only did that spur me on to delving deeper into my British side of my family, it also sparked an immediate love of antique photos of ancestors. I thought about their lives - were they happy? Did they enjoy the same things I enjoyed? Did they get angry, or cry at the loss of a family pet. Yes those are the odd things I thought about as a youngster.

This early fascination with ancestors and photographs that captured one brief moment in their lives led to my determination to rescue and preserve as many old photos as possible. Several years ago I began purchasing entire albums of named photographs (Cartes de Visite and tintypes mostly) from the Civil War era, and offering scans of the photos to interested descendants. My dream was to one day publish them all online for genealogists to freely copy for their own personal use.

A few of my rescued Ambrotypes & Daguerreotypes

I am excited to announce my dream has come to fruition. Several years ago I was able to purchase the domain name "Lost Faces" from a woman who no longer wanted it.

This year I completed scanning and uploading approximately half of the precious albums I have rescued over the years. Every album is online with a description, a list of names, and at least a few photos from the album.

 There are 81 albums online at this point, and approximately half are complete, meaning all the photos in the albums are online for visitors to enjoy. Most albums have 50 photographs so you can see that is a lot of photos for visitors to enjoy and hopefully find an ancestor or two!

1916 Ramsgate England

As well as these wonderful album photographic treasures, Lost Faces contains dozens of single photos of groups - sports teams, class photos, and more. I also have vintage postcards for your enjoyment, and explanations of various early photograph types such as Cartes de Visite, Cabinet Cards, Tintypes, Ambrotypes, and Daguerreotypes. To top it all off I've added some brief tutorials on dating photographs through fashion, hairstyles, photographer marks and more.

Enjoy your visit to Lost Faces and feel free to download any photos for your own personal use. The only thing you cannot do is publish the photos anywhere else offline or online. Perhaps you'll find an ancestor in my rescues!

Death Photography From the 19th Century

This story, and photos, may be upsetting for some of my readers. But it shows very well how times and customs change over the centuries and over the culture of the geographic location.

In the 19th Century it was a common practice in many countries, including England and the United States, to photograph a deceased loved one. Often the family member who had died was placed with the rest of the family for one final family photograph. Children especially were often memorialized in this fashion.

Taken from life: The unsettling art of death photography is a fascinating look at this custom from BBC News journalist Bethan Bell.

Photo credit: Screenshot from BBC News article at http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36389581

Eerie Civil War Photographs on SmithsonianMag.com

Thanks to my friend J.D. Thomas of Accessible Archives, I was directed to this amazing archive of photographs on  Smithsonianmag.com

 

Quoting from the website "Reed Bontecou's groundbreaking photography used a new medium to bring attention to the wounds of war'


Please read more at These Eerie Civil War Photos Changed How the U.S. Saw Veterans

Image credit: Screenshot of thumbnails on Smithsonianmag.com

Book Review: The Tiny Portrait

The Tiny Portrait by Heidi Carla is a wonderful children's book about a brother and sister who find a family treasure in their attic. Tess finds a cased portrait of a young woman with her dog, labelled "Lottie & Pearl" When the portrait begins to fade, Tess and her brother Toby decide they need to find out who Lottie was. Their first clue is the year "1890" on the photograph and then Tess finds Lottie's diary.

Then Tess begins to see Lottie everywhere she goes - a shadowy figure who seems to lead the children to places they need to go to find the answers. The children embark on a journey of discovery - not only finding out who Lottie was but discovering that sometimes the greatest treasure of all is the memories the object invokes. 

Beautifully illustrated with sepia toned photographs done by the author's sister Karla Cinquanta, this book is an enchanting venture into the world of genealogy and early photography. 

My 9 year old grandson looked through The Tiny Portrait and proclaimed it "very interesting" He liked that it was about (in his words) "Family trees" and he loved the photographs. He spent quite a bit of time poring over the illustrations and when I asked him what the appeal was, his answer was "I like the details"

This book is a delightfully creative way for genealogists to introduce children or grandchildren to the world of genealogy. The Tiny Portrait is available on Amazon.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for review purposes 

Early Customs in Photography: Post Mortem Photos

Some people collect these old photos. I don't care for them myself but I understand and accept that in the 19th century they were an acceptable custom. The custom was at its height in the VIctorian era.

Post-Mortem photos were often taken when a loved one, especially a child, died. Often it would be the only photo a parent had of a beloved son or daughter. 

The deceased would be dressed in their best clothes and carefully propped or placed, either alone or with the rest of the family, to appear alive. Often the deceased appeared to be sleeping.

We may find it morbid but it was customary. Many cultures also took photos of the deceased in their coffin.

You may view an exhibit of such photos at The Strangest Tradition of the Victorian Era: Post-Mortem Photography

Suitcases Left in New York Insane Asylum - Still Full of Belongings

DailyMail.co.uk website

Photographer Jon Crispin has been documenting the suitcases left behind by patients at the Willard Asylum for the Insane in Upstate New York. 400 suitcases were found in an attic at the asylum in 1995. They date from 1910 to 1960\

The photographs are poignant - beautifully done, fascinating yet sad at the same time.  I wish New York had given the photographer permission to reveal full names of the patients these suitcases belonged to. As a genealogist I immediately wanted to research the person behind the meager belongings.

I wish I could show a photo of one of the suitcases here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog but I don't have permission. So please take a moment and use the link below to read more and view these beautiful photos. They tell a story without words.

Thanks to a reader for telling me about a book which tells the story of the patients these suitcases belonged to. You can buy The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic  in Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover from Amazon.com

You can read more at The Willard Suitcase Project and at Jon Crispin's blog

Also read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2338714/The-chilling-pictures-suitcases-left-New-York-insane-asylum-patients-locked-away-rest-lives.html#ixzz2W0jUwxTN

5 Steps to a Quick & Easy Genealogy Christmas Gift

Stuck for a Christmas Gift for a relative? Starting to panic when you realize your aunt is coming to visit in two weeks and you need to find a gift for her before then? Here's a simple idea for a very nice (but fast and easy!) Christmas gift. We're making this one for my husband's uncle for Christmas.

Step 1: Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner, get comfy on your couch or recliner and start scanning 25 to 50 of your family photos.

Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner

Make sure the photos have a connection to the person you're going to give this present to!

Step 2: Import your photos to your computer. Crop or straighten or do whatever is needed to your scanned photos. Then print them as size 4x6 inches on best quality paper.

 50 page Gift Album for 4x6 photos

Step 3: Buy an inexpensive photo album. You don't need an archival quality album as you are only putting copies of your original photographs into it

Step 4: Place your scanned and printed photos in the album and then write a description of each photo on the album pages.

Step 5: Write a nice inscription inside the front cover, place the album in a Christmas Gift Bag and you're done!

Example of album page

Another example from our gift album

5 Types of Early 19th Century Photographs - a YouTube Video

I'm very excited to introduce my FIRST video about early 19th century photographs! You can watch it on Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel.

Do you need help to date a treasured photo found in grandma's trunk or shoebox in the attic? Were you lucky enough to inherit great-grandma's antique photo album? Then this video is for you!

In this video I introduce five types of photographs from 1839 on - Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, CDVs (Cartes de Visite) and Cabinet Cards. In the video you will learn about the time periods in which these various photographic techniques were used and see examples from my personal collection. 

You can also visit Lost Faces for more information on 19th Century photos and examples from Civil War era  Photo Albums. I will also be making videos on Dating Photographs Using Fashion, Hairstyles, Revenue Stamps, Type of Photograph and Photographer's markings. 

I have other videos planned in this series but what would YOU like to see? If I can create it, I will. 

Lost Faces: Finding John H. McKim

FINDING JOHN H. McKIM

I started my genealogy research and found John H. McKim in the 1881 census for Londonderry Nova Scotia. He was 14 years and living with his parents William and Margaret McKim.

Sarah C. Willis

My next research find was the 1902 marriage record of John Herbert McKim age 36 born Colchester Nova Scotia to parents William McKim and Margaret Thompson.

John was marrying Sarch C. Willis, 36 born N. Walsingham Norfolk County Ontario to parents Robert Willis Sr. and Mary A. Staley.

The groom John H. McKim gave his residence as Kootenay British Columbia and his occupation as Miner.





  
ETHEL WILLIS

Ethel Willis

I was able to find John McKim and his parents again in the 1871 census for Lower Londonderry, Colchester Nova Scotia but I was more interested in finding out if he and Sarah Willis had any children. And what was the family relationship of the woman in the photo labelled "Ethel Willis"

After a few hours I narrowed the possibilities for "my" Ethel Willis to Molly Ethel Willis born January 1884 to Robert Willis Jr and wife Lucy Atkinson. Little Molly Ethel was recorded as Ethel in the 1901 census for Tilsonburg with her parents Robert and Lucy Willis and grandparents Robert Willis and Margaret Thompson.

If I have the correct Ethel Willis she was Sarah C. McKim nee Willis' niece.


BURIAL RECORDS

There are many census records for the McKim and Willis families. The last items I found were the newspaper obituaries or death notices for both John H. McKim and his wife.

St. Thomas Journal. Feb 14, 1945: p. 6 John Herbert McKim, 79th year. died Feb. 14.  son of william and Margaret, father of  Edwin and Robert McKim


Dutton Advance, Dutton Ontario.
Feb. 15, 1945: Died John H. McKim, Dunwich. 79. son of William and Margaret
June 4, 1953: Died Mrs. John H. McKim, Dunwich. 87. nee Sarah C. Willis

John Herbert McKim and his wife Sarah C. Willis are buried in Fairview Dutton Cemegtery in Dunwich Township Elgin County Ontario.

Their son Edwin McKim is listed as Edmond Willis McKim in the Roll of Honour for Dutton and Dunwich of "Boys Who Paid the Supreme Sacrifice" in WW2.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

If anyone knows more about this family and who the other people named in the photos are, I'd like to hear from you. We still have these two identified photographs both taken in Tilsonburg Ontario.

Ann, John & Libbie

Erie & Elmo

More Lost and Found Ancestor photos can be viewed at Lost Faces website.

Is This My Father?

My father died Christmas Day many years ago. I had just turned 14 one month before his death. Over time my memory of his face has faded.

There are very few photographs of my dad. Those few (a handful) that exist are grainy badly taken images. Except for one. I have a studio portrait of my father taken during WW2, long before I was born.

At an auction recently I bid on and won a group photo of soldiers who were in training in Guelph Ontario in 1942. My dad lived in Guelph and was in training there when he joined the Army. This is a cropped portion of that group photo.



As soon as I saw the photo, I thought that the soldier seated to the right of the officer with the swagger stick (front row) could be my dad! It looks so much like him to my eyes. He is the 5th man counting from the right side.

I scanned and enlarged that soldier and have placed it below beside the WW2 studio portrait of my father. What do you think? Is it him?

I did notice differences as soon as I enlarged the photo. But my husband pointed out that the unknown man (left) has the sun in his eyes so he has shadows on his face that distort his features. He is also squinting a bit, further causing distortion. His face is turned slightly further to the side than the one I know is my father.



Please take a look and give your opinion. I want this to be a photo of my father so much that I am not sure I can judge objectively! Perhaps someone knows who the men were in No. 1 Platoon Basic Training in Guelph in July 1942. Even if no one knows for sure, your opinions and thoughts would be appreciated.

Dating Old Family Photos

You've found a box of old photos in your great-aunt's attic. She doesn't want them and tells you to go ahead and take the box. Some of the pictures are identified by name but you've no idea when the photos were taken! What do you do now?

The first thing you need to do is figure out the approximate time period of each photo. Is it 20th century, or 19th century? Mid 1800s? Late 1800s? How do you figure it out?

You can date photographs through various clues:

1. Type of photo - Tintype, daguerreotype, Carte de visite, cabinet card, 1900s home photos - narrow your time frame by first identifying the photo type.

2. Photographer's name (if there is one). Research the photographer. Find out when he or she was in business.

3. Photographer's mark and logo on the back of a CDV (Carte de Visite). Marks and logos changed over time from none to simple to more elaborate.

4. Fashion, especially women's fashions. Are the skirts full? Do they have hoops? Crinolines? Do they simply fall from the waist? Does the dress have full sleeves? Tight tapered sleeves? Dropped shoulder? A Yoke effect? High collar? Low collar? Natural wwaistline with belt? Dropped waist? Bustle? All these and more indicate fairly specific years.

5. Hairstyles. Women's hairstyles in particular changed over the years. Look to see if the ears are exposed or covered. Is hair parted in the middle and swept back severely? Is it low on the nape of the neck? Is it in sausage curls or ringlets? Is it gathered high on the top of the head? There are many variations and every one is typical of a fairly specific time period.

6. Is there a Revenue Stamp on the back? This dates your photo to 1864-1866. If you're lucky, the photographer date stamped his revenue stamp as he was supposed to.

There are many details you can also look for when attempting to date an ancestor photo. See Hints For Dating an Ancestor Photograph for information on Photo Corners (round versus square cut), quality of photograph cards (thin, thick), colured backings versus non-coloured etc.

It's a great feeling to get a box of old family photos and be able to slot them into time periods! Why not join us on Lost Faces: Ancestor Photos & Albums on GenealogyWise. This is a group I created to talk about our old photos and to help each other identify the years taken.

Civil War Photo Album Fowler Merchant Families

This is one of my favourite CDVs (Cartes de Visite) from the Fowler Merchant Civil War era photo album in my personal collection. It was taken during the Civil War - if you look carefully you can see this young lady's snood - a netting worn over the hair at the back of the head. Her hair is carefully slicked down and parted in the center - another sign of 1860s women's hairstyles.

Her bolero jacket was also popular during this time. Also note the dropped shoulders, full sleeves narrowing at the wrist, and the full skirt, but loosely draped, not over a hoop.

The plain background and patterned floor are further clues to help date this photograph. You can see the full Fowler-Merchant Family Photo Album online at Lost Faces.

Surnames: Fowler, Merchant, Keach, Houghton, Lovejoy, Hewitt, Maloney, Tanner, Whitcomb, Sladden, Frazier, Comstock, Gray, Moseley, Center, Lee, Alexander, Fisher, Williams, Cottrell, Burgess

Locations: Cambridge New York, Connecticut, Washington DC

When Does the Fun Start?

The word prompt for the 7th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Oh, Baby! Show us those wonderful family photographs of babies, or those you've collected. Share the ones that are too cute for words, or those only a mother could love. Your favorite of grandma or grandmas' favorite. Grandpa on a bear skin rug or grandpas' little love. Everyone has a baby photo, so let's see it!

Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that is the epitome of Oh, Baby! ...

I couldn't resist this challenge. I am the Keeper of the Photographs in our family. Every time someone passes away or moves, their boxes of old photos, albums of treasures and documents galore end up in my home for safe-keeping. I've lost track of how many old family photos and slides I have now but soon I'll need a room just for them.

I also collect old photographs (Civil War era is my favourite) and have almost 3000 CDVs (Cartes de Visite), hundreds of Cabinet Cards and tintypes. So you can imagine what choices were available to me for a cute/funny/atrocious baby picture!


It's ironic therefore that my final choice was this 1973 photo (originally a slide - remember how popular those were?) of my oldest son meeting his grandparents for the first time.

Who can Identify this Mystery Building circa 1870s?

This is a photo (a CDV or Carte de visite) of a mystery building with a crowd of men and women in front.

Some are looking out the windows of this building which is draped in bunting. A photograph of a man is placed over the front door and you can see the crush of people at the door.

My best guess is that this is a funeral, perhaps of a President, certainly of an important man.

From the type of photograph (Carte de Visite), the clothing styles, with the women in bustle dresses and hats perched atop their heads, and the men in bowlers and long coats, I estimate the date to be circa 1872-1880. However bowler hats were worn from 1850-1900 and bustles were in style from about 1860-1900 so it is difficult to narrow the timeline with certainty.

What I would like to know is

* What and where is this building?

* What is the occassion?

The only other clues I have are that this photograph was the last in an album of Cabinet Cards from Chicago Illinois photographers. Two were from Omaha Nebraska but more than 60 of the photos in the album were from Chicago. The image itself is not clear, it is rather fuzzy and faded so it is not possible to make out good details. In fact, I manipulated the colours and the sharpness of the original in order to get as clear and sharp an image as possible to post here.

Anyone care to guess what this building is and where it is?

How an antique Illinois Family Photo Album came to Canada via New Jersey

My good friend Illya of LiveRoots.com recently sent me a gift of an antique photo album. The Album has had a rough life, and needed a good home, so Illya bid on it at a New Jersey auction, won the album and shipped it to me here in Canada.

The album has slots for 64 cabinet cards, and one tintype. 2 Cabinet Cards are missing, for a total of 63 ancestor family photos in this album. 15 of the Cabinet Card photographs were identified with writing on the album pages.

With the identification of those 15 photos and the clues from the photographers who took the photographs, I was able to find the family in the census for Chicago Illinois and determine that this album belonged to the Timmerman Family.

The Timmerman Family Photo Album is full of beautiful photographs, most taken in the period 1890 - 1910. Most of the photos were taken by photographers in Chicago Illinois - Morrison, Jaeger, Hoffman Studios, Vahlteich and others. A few were taken in Omaha Nebraska.

I wondered how a Chicago Photo Album over 100 years old ended up at a New Jersey auction, but research found that one of the Timmerman daughters (Bertha Timmerman) married a man named George Fichtner and moved from Chicago to Boontown New Jersey sometime between 1910 and 1920. No doubt the album was cared for by this daughter and her descendants for many years.

Olive Tree Genealogy has scanned several of the photos and published them online for all descendants and interested researchers to enjoy. I will be scanning all the photos and placing them all online in hopes that genealogists will recognize an ancestor. I've also written up the genealogy research I did on the Timmerman family and published it online as well. Hopefully interested descendants will enjoy this look into the family photographs of more than 100 years ago.

There are 55 other antique family photo albums (mostly from the Civil War era) online on Lost Faces on Olive Tree Genealogy website. Quality reproductions can be obtained for most of the 2,000 + photos by viewing thumbnails provided and choosing photographs of interest.

Creating a Genealogy Family Memory Book, Part 2

This is one page from another of my Family Memory Books. It is the start of the section on my son's grandfather Jack and I wanted to show the different looks you can achieve.

Since I have Jack's old British passport I thought it would be a good idea to scan and place it in this Memory Book for my son and his children. I also included on this page a photo of Jack as a choir boy, the death certificate of his father, and a treasured photo of Jack in the streets of London England in WW11.

I use a very old program called Microsoft Picture It! Publishing 2001. There may well be much better and fancier ones available. But mine suits my purposes and allows me to create fancy or coloured backgrounds, fancy borders, edge effects, fade out effects and much more. Best of all, you can play around with the photos and documents right in the program. So you can change your layout and text and see exactly how it will look before you print. You can also save it as a webpage or email it to someone else.

This second image shows the same page but with a few changes. Here I created a fancy border around the photo of Jack as a choir boy. I also created a soft blurred edge effect around the top left photo of Jack in London England during WW11. Lastly I created a sepia background on which to place the photos. The choices are endless!

My first few Memory Books were plain and simple. I just wanted to place the images in a manner that was pleasing to me but I wanted to do them quickly. The more pages I created, the more I liked what was happening! I began to slow down and experiment.

Another thing I really like about Picture It! is that you can create 50 pages in the project, and you can place your images in the tray while you arrange and rearrange to your heart's content. It's rather like rearranging the living room but you don't have your husband complaining about moving the piano to seven different spots until you find the right place!