All Those Old Photos?

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Miss Poohs
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 12:35 am
Location: Clydebank, in Bonnie Scotland

All Those Old Photos?

Post by Miss Poohs » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:14 am

Hi Everyone, the wanderer returns, hope you are are all well and happy.

I've just been given an old wedding photo of my parents, taken back in 1950, and it's made me wonder what happened to all the original copies the actual photographer held?

Would they have been destroyed or sent to some sort of archieve?

Anyone any idea?
Beveridge, Bonnar, Burns,Candlin, Colquhoun, Dewar,Graham,Hislop,Jackson & Robertson.
Martin & Nelson - all Liverpool
Allison, Beaton, MacLean, McLuskie & Todd.
Grant, McEwan, McLean & Syme.

wini
Posts: 678
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2005 2:39 pm
Location: West Australia

All those Old Photos

Post by wini » Sat Apr 05, 2008 11:54 am

Hello Miss Poohs,
I tried to find out what happened to some photgraphs taken at a studio in Glasgow in the 1940's. I think it was Elsmore's,I haven't got them in front of me, but I had no luck.
So unless the photgraphers are still in existence I don't know if you will have much chance.
Good Luck and if anyone else has any tips I will be happy to try and chase mine up again.

wini
Munro, McPhee, Gunn, Reid, McCreadie, Jackson, Cree, McFarland,Gillies,Gebbie,McCallum,Dawson
Glasgow, Durness,Kilmuir via Uig, Logie Easter
Old Monkland

sheilajim
Posts: 787
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 10:42 pm
Location: san clemente california

Post by sheilajim » Sun Apr 06, 2008 1:28 am

Hi Miss Poohs,

I don't know for certain, but I believe that they get rid of them after a short while. I suppose that it is the practical thing to do.

It is a shame that they don't keep them. i believe that everyone has, lost photos over the years, especially of past generations. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could go into a shop, and get the photos of your ancestors.

Regards
Sheila

Currie
Posts: 3924
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:20 am
Location: Australia

Post by Currie » Sun Apr 06, 2008 4:53 am

Hello Miss Poohs,

I suspect many of these old negatives would have ended up in the same place as old X-Rays i.e. in a place where they recovered the silver content. Although I don’t think many people would be too upset about the loss of the old family X-Rays, wouldn’t you think Great Aunt Myrtle’s broken leg could be nicely framed and given pride of place somewhere?

If you’re very lucky the photographer or whoever took over the business might still be operating, might still have the hundreds of thousands of old negatives from thousands of weddings and other events tucked away somewhere, might have them all numbered and sorted, might still have the paperwork linking the batch of negatives to the wedding name, might still have the old equipment and know how to use it and might be able to run off a set of prints for you to view and choose from. I wouldn’t like to think about the cost.

If he had all his negatives nicely sorted he could possibly scan the lot and put them online for sale but to do this he would have to have some certainty of at least recovering the cost of a huge operation. All the people in the photos would be unknown to him. He would be able to identify batches of maybe 100 or so photos possibly only as “Smith Wedding Glasgow 1950” or whatever. He may well go bankrupt.

There are photographers who have old photos for sale online but these are usually of identifiable landscape and building or of people with something special about them. Sometimes libraries or the like get hold of surviving negative collections but usually only if there’s something very old, rare or special about them.

If you know the studio name it wouldn’t hurt to make enquiries as nothings impossible. If you’re able to do the rounds of the relatives you may find that each one ordered a different set of Wedding or Reception photos from the photographer and that you can build up a bit of a collection from there.

All the best,
Alan.