For help uploading photos to Ancestry®, see Uploading Photos or Documents. To change a profile photo, see Adding or Changing Profile Photos.
Go to pictures search
- Enter information and click Search.
- From your list of search results, click a photo to view it.
- To save the photo to your tree, click Save to my tree.
- Select a tree from the drop-down menu and start typing the name of the person you want to save it to. When you see their name appear, click on it.
Clues in old photos
Photos from the 19th and 20th centuries are filled with family history clues. These strategies can help you uncover information:
- Gather background information: Establish a basic understanding of the lives of family members who are potentially in a photograph. Ask relatives about family members they knew: numbers of siblings, hair colour, and comparative heights can all help.
- Use records to add context: Records can provide clues, especially when you’re trying to work out which members of a family were living together at a given time. Comparing records to photographs can help you determine an approximate time frame for the photo and understand the context of the picture.
- Record crucial facts: Keep a record of the number of children in different generations and their ages in relation to one another. This can help you interpret later photographs, in which people’s appearances may have changed radically.
- Look for the photo brand: If you’re lucky enough to have a studio imprint on your photograph, try to find out when that studio was in business. This will give you a rough time frame regarding when the photo was taken.
- Become familiar with trends of the time: Clothing and hairstyles can be a great help in dating photographs.
- Pay attention to detail: Candid photographs especially can provide plenty of clues about your ancestors’ hobbies and interests.
Types of old photos
When you come across old photos, it can be useful to your family history research to know the type of photo you have. The photographic process used can provide clues regarding the picture’s timeframe.
- Daguerrotypes (1839–1860): Daguerrotypes are made of silver-plated copper with a polished surface. Because they’re fragile, they’re usually covered with glass and can be found in small cases padded with satin or velvet.
- Tintypes or Ferrotypes (1856–early 1900s) Tintypes were popular during the U.S. Civil War. They're made of a thin sheet of iron coated with black varnish; they're durable, so that soldiers could carry them and mail them home.
- Cabinet Cards (1866–1920s): Most photos taken in the late 1800s are cabinet cards. These photos were printed on thin paper and mounted on a thick card. The front of a cabinet card usually contains the name of the photographer or studio.
- Portrait Postcards (1900–1920s): Portraits printed with postcard backs became popular at the turn of the century. Pre-1907, postcard styles changed frequently, but most postcards printed after 1907 are similar to modern-day postcard layouts.
- The Black and White Snapshot (1900–1960s): In 1900, Kodak launched the Brownie camera, thus making cameras affordable and easy to use. Many people purchased the Brownie camera during this period.
- Colour Transparencies or Slides (1940s–1970s): Colour film became widely available in the 1940s and 1950s.
For help uploading your own photos to Ancestry, see Uploading Photos or Documents. To add a profile picture, see Adding Profile Photos.
