How to Best Label Your Photos

As any family historian knows, finding a new (or new-to-you) photo is a feeling like none other. Flipping that photo over to find it labeled only sweetens the pot! Seeing the face of kin and knowing their name, when the photo was taken and where it was taken is truly like hitting a gold mine!

Truth be told, though, life is busy! And more often than not we’re not thinking about labeling photos, let alone thinking ahead to who might want/need to know who is in a given photo, when it was taken or where we were.

Case in point, the below photo of two relaxed women, happily posing for a photo with a beautiful background, with only the printers stamp on the back indicating it was printed in September of 1959.

At first, I had no idea who these two women were. However, after comparing many other (thankfully labelled) photos, I was able to figure out that the lady on the right is my great grandma, Orvetta. I don’t know, however, who the other lady was or where they were, facts that are not absolutely necessary, but that could help paint a picture of this experience she obviously enjoyed so much.

Now don’t get me wrong, any printing or writing on the back of a photo can be exciting and can help shed light on the people in the photo.

For example, the writing on the back of the below photo of my great grandma, June and her daughter, Jane, which was gifted to me by a cousin after her mom passed a couple of years ago. It was the first photo I’d ever seen of either of them as adults and I would have been lost without some context, especially since it is still the only photo I have of the two of them as adults.

Written on the back of this photo in two different handwritings is:

Aug – 1964

Mom – Grandma June (my dad’s mama)

Jane – 1/2 sister Jane

I can only assume that the first writing (indicated in bold) was written by one of June’s children, either my Grandpa or his sister, Verna. The second writing (indicated in italic) is, I believe, my Aunt’s.

Now, had my Aunt not added the extra details, I would have been at a complete loss as to who those two lovely ladies were! “Mom” could mean anyone and I didn’t know Jane existed until I started building out my family tree on Ancestry a few years ago.

Luckily, my Aunt knew it would be helpful to add in those few extra details.

Her details also helped me figure out that Jane was born to June in her second marriage (a marriage I also didn’t know about at all until just a few years ago), but that’s a story for another day.

How to Best Label Your Photos

So, how does one best label photos so they’re preserved and informative for future generations? The truth is, it’s rather simple, though it can be time consuming if you have a solid stack (or large box) to make your way through.

Just like anything else, though, it can be done one photo at a time.

The general consensus is to:

• Handle each photo by it’s edges

• Place the photo on a clean flat, surface

• Use a Number 2 pencil for older photos and an archival pen for newer, glossy/plastic backed photos

• Write gently on an outer edge of the back of the photo so as not to damage the image on the other side

Information to include:

• Name(s) of person/people in the photo

• Date photo was taken (use the year or an approximation if you don’t know the exact date)

• Location of photo (again, use approximations if an exact location is unknown)

The same rules can be applied to digital photos, just try to keep your titles rather short so your computer doesn’t get upset with you. IMG_2899 will mean nothing to anyone in the future, but Orvetta Thomas, Los Angeles, 1959 is very helpful.

And so, with renewed enthusiasm, I’m off to go through one of my boxes of old photos and add full details to those that remain blank, a few at a time, until they’re all properly labelled to the best of my current knowledge and ability, acknowledging that, as my Aunt did, I can always add more information later if I come across it.

Onward,

Melis