What to do with Old Photos

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
In cleaning out my uncle's apartment, I found many albums and envelopes full of old photos. Some people I know, mainly relatives, but most I have no idea who they are. My uncle can't remember, either. Seems a shame to trash them, but I'm the last family member on that side with the family name. My father had two sisters and a brother - one aunt never had kids and the other had three kids who have their father's family name. My uncle never married. When I go, my father's side of the family will die out. Both my father and his younger sister have passed. The other sister has Alzheimer's. Outside of my uncle, who can't remember well, so there no one else to ask or would even care. What's the best thing to do?
 

I had the same problem with hundreds and hundreds of old pictures of people that I didn't know. Luckily, my mother was able to identify a few, but mostly it was "oh, that was Cousin Tom's first wife's sister." Okaaay......bye bye to Cousin Tom's first wife's sister and on the the trash bin she went. The question you have to ask yourself is, "Will my kids be interested in these photos?" If the answer is no, then you have your answer on what to do with them.
 
Back then, people knew who was in the photo, so they didn't write it on the back (or date it, either). Not thinking that someday, someone might find that info useful.
 

I've seen old fashioned black & white photographs of people selling at the 'Old Paper Show & Sale' here in Toronto. I think artists often use them in their work if they are interesting.
 
I posted this a long time ago I think, but maybe not... it seems to fit this thread:

Strangers in the Box – A Poem


Come, look with me inside this drawer,
In this box, I’ve often seen,
At the pictures, black and white,
Faces proud, still serene;
I wish I knew these people
These strangers in the box.Their names and all their memories
Are lost among my socks;
I wonder what their lives were like,
How did they spend their days?
What about their special times?
I’ll never know their ways.If only someone had taken time
To tell who, what, where and when,
These faces of my heritage
Would come to life again.Could this become the fate
Of the picture we take today?
The faces and the memories
Someday will pass away.Make time to save your stories;
Seize opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours could be
The strangers in this box!
Author unknown​
 
My daughter told me my son-in-law collects old black and white photos. She said sometimes he even frames them. We don't know why. He comes from a broken home and I wonder if somehow putting up old family photos makes him feel better? I don't know what I would do with old photos but I know I'll never be able to toss them out. And I doubt my kids will either.
 
Linda...awww that's so sad about your s-i-l if the reason he puts the pictures up is as you suspect because he's trying to create a cosy family past for himself through old family photos. Nice tho' because someone else's pictures live on through your s-i-l, but by the same token heartbreaking if his lack of a secure upbringing is at the root cause of it..
 
Upstate NY generally means small town. Was your relative a long time resident? You must have an Historical Society or maybe even a museum, see if they have any interest?
 
Or.... if you want to just give them them away for free, an ad in Craig's List might take them off your hands, but meet in a public place.
 
debodun said:
Back then, people knew who was in the photo, so they didn't write it on the back (or date it, either). Not thinking that someday, someone might find that info useful.
Click to expand...

My late mother, in her infinite wisdom, made it a lifelong habit to make notes on the back of all photos, including the date or time period the picture was taken. My brother and I knew this, but when we were cleaning out her house after her passing we found dozens of pictures we never even knew existed, dating way back to the 20's....and sure enough she had made notes on those too. What a treasure! Throughout my lifetime, when someone I knew would share their pictures, I automatically flipped the picture over expecting to see explanatory notes.....I'm sure the person sharing wondered what the heck I was doing! :confused:
 
Damn, one of the hardest things I had to do. Two permanently estranged daughters...if they want their baby pics they can ask their dear aunt. Because there aren't any...anymore. I took the pictures and I was there. But no reason to keep them. My hubby had family snaps as well. He's in early Parkinson's but getting a bit dotty remembering things. I kept pictures that were definitely his parents and a favorite aunt, him and his sister as kids. The other box or three no. Nobody still living probably can only guess who they were.
 
Recently when my 8 yr. old granddaughter spent the night with me .. I thought we could do something different. So I got out a large storage container that has many albums ... some mine, some my deceased mother's, some from my father's family, etc.
We picked out just a few to go through for the evening, since she had never seen any of these pictures before.

As a showed her pictures of her great-great grandparents and where they lived, etc., explaining things the best I could to entertain her.
Well, she only noticed any animals that were in the pictures. "Whose dog is that?" "What's his name?" ... and then trying to explain that these pictures from the 1920's are not of anyone living today, including the animals.
It turned out to be not so fun after all.:(
 
Trouble is, in my case, I don't even know who most of the people are. In some cases there's a note on the back saying "Bob and Sally" or something such, but I still don't know who they are or what, if any, connection they might have to me.
 
Butterfly, I ran into the same problem. The thing about pictures is they don't take up much space. Maybe I'll throw away the ones I'm sure are not relatives, but how much space does that save? Now getting rid of some furniture would make a difference.:)
 
It's just that with hubby's family there might be three guys...Carmine, Frank and Joseph. Now there is a different generation named Carmine, Frank and Joseph, then there is one more generation named...you get the idea. Nobody in later generations will have any idea who the heck these people were...TOSS
 
post on free to give away sites if you and any of your family has no interest. Hit up the local school, brownie troop, scouts? Anything where crafts are made and who knows they may be able to use them. Especially if they are black and whites, a whole bunch of those cut into random shapes and fashioned into a picture frame or something would be very cool. There is a whole world of crafters out there maybe you can find someone who would like them.
Just a thought
 
I think about when I am gone. I expect most if not all will get tossed, so I am less reluctant to toss them now and gain the space they are taking up now.
 
Really, I got there with baby pictures too. My children...some people said "The Cookie Cutter Kids". Different shades and length of hair but if they were undated and no one in the pic to compare age of okay...he was that age, that means the baby IS...all alone and a blurry shot TOSS
 
I've have to throw away a wine box size amount of inherited photos from a world traveler. I set some aside for a relative who is in many of the remaining picture because but they haven't communicated with us in decades and motivation to pack & ship is not there.

I have noticed on ebay there is a small market for some old slide quality travel photos and/or ones that include some older airplanes and/or defunct airlines. The buyers seem to be from Europe. I want to assemble a bulk amount and see what happens.

It's disappointing that I will wind up throwing out photos 100 years old at this point. That's history even if only family.
 
Debodun,I would not throw them out,most library's have a family history section and I am sure that they would take them from you.
My hubby and I went to an antique market quite a few years ago now, and found an old shoe box full of photos and lo and behold we found some family photos among them one was of my husband's grandmother of which he didn't have a photo of and a few other photos of family that were relevent to him.
 
Here is one in which my uncle did know the people. They are my great grandfather, on my father's side with his wife and children. The child that's on the farthest left (looking at the photo) is my grandfather. Uncle said this photo was taken circa 1900. I also have the pocket watch that belonged to great-grandfather, so it has to be at least 100 years old.

great grandfather dunbar b.jpgpocket watch4a.jpg
 
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Some old photo lend themselves well to lovely art collages. I have seen them sold at the Old Paper Show and Sale here.

49002e37da841d1e0213c8c04ae46397.jpg 2005_0901.jpg
 
I have hundreds of old photos, some dating back to the dawn of photography in the 19th century. I don't know what to do with them, my kids don't show any interest in them and no doubt when I kick the bucket most of them will end up in the bin.
 

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