Every family has some. They may be dusty or damaged by water; they may look worn or well-loved. They’re diamonds in the rough! Whether you’ve got two or two dozen, there’s nothing quite as alluring as old family photos that need some serious TLC. It’s like discovering an antique that needs some sanding, polishing and refinishing to look […]
Nostalgia never goes out of style. In fact, it’s so powerful that many psychologists believe it actually adds happiness to our lives. And everyone knows that vintage photos deliver potent doses of nostalgia. Old photos are like little time machines; they transport us to a beautiful place called memory. When we crack open our dusty family albums, […]
I admit it. I’m a photo hoarder. In fact, I bet I’m not the only one. That’s right, I’m looking at you! But don’t worry, you’re not alone. Millions of people feel like they’re drowning in a sea of digital photos. So many of us are struggling to wade through our digital photos that there’s an entire organization dedicated to […]
My parents kissing after my mom graduated med school, with my dad using her diploma to tell my uncle to shove off. My mom and dad met at a Mennonite high school, while they were both dating other people. They were on a picnic double-date one day outside my grandparents’ house, and my mom came […]
Here’s to the picture takers, the family historians, the memory keepers, the watchful storytellers who document our days. They remind us that ordinary life is actually quite extraordinary. My grandpa took selfies before selfies were cool. This is him in the early 80’s experimenting with his Minolta and long exposure self portraits. The tripod and […]
In 2005, my two remaining grandparents passed away within two weeks of each other. My parents travelled back to the UK for the funerals and returned with a large collection of photos, documents and a couple of small mementos. Among my mother’s family papers was a key that unlocked the door to her past: her parent’s […]
This is my great-grandmother Zelda. She came to New York from Russia around 1918. Shorty after she made the Bronx her home, she met and married her distant cousin with whom she had her only child, Natalie (my grandma). Natalie died at only 39, leaving my mom and her siblings motherless much too young. That’s […]
My Pappaw’s Air Force photos are my favorites. There are so many, but the one on the left is a postcard from 1942 to my Mammaw, back home in South Carolina, and it reads: “Darling, now don’t laugh, it’s me, but I don’t believe it. Get a load of those eyes, I’ve taken up hypnotizing. […]
The family album is dying. For years, families captured their daily lives on negatives and slides. Snapshots were then selected and collected into books, slide carousels and albums. Photo corners, sticky pages, scrapbooks, and slide projectors were the tools of the trade. The process itself was slow, requiring a camera, film and a lab to process and print. Collectors like Erik Kessels have […]
I never had the chance to meet my grandfather. He died a few years before I was born. I am named after him, Claudio Majorana. All that I know about him comes from stories my father told me since I was a kid. I know that my grandfather was an engineer and Sicilian Politician. But […]
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