I’ve learned a lot about Civil War era images this year and I thought I’d pass all those details on to you! My new book is out! You can order a copy from my e-store at this link. It will also be for sale from vendors at future conferences.
A photo historian once claimed that every Civil War soldier posed for a photograph during the war. That’s a BIG statement. I haven’t found my Civil War soldiers picture yet, but I’m looking. There were a few thousand photographers in business during the war years so I think it’s likely most men posed for an image. Women and children did too. Men carried those pictures into battle with them as a reminder of home.
There are success stories. I recently spoke about this book at the Boston Public Library and a woman told me that she found an image of her Civil War ancestor at the Woburn (Massachusetts) City Hall. Company K from that town all died in battle and someone approached their family members for pictures and gathered them together in a memorial frame. She was stunned by the find.
So was genealogist Midge Frazel when she found her ancestor’s picture on DeadFred.com, a photo reunion site like Ancient Faces.
Another genealogist located a photo of one of her soldiers on eBay! Of course she bought it. It’s in the book.
As these women discovered photo success is possible. I’ll keep looking for pictures of my ancestors–James Kelley and Peter Taylor of Massachusetts.
Here’s some of the interesting tidbits about Civil War era photos:
- Dress reform advocates suggested that women wear a type of pant under shorter skirts. Men (and many women) were not very supportive of this trend or of another new style–women wearing shirts.
- Mourning colors could include lavender, gray and purple. It all depended on your relationship to the deceased.
- Tom Thumb’s wedding to Lavinia Warren was a media event.
- Civil War uniforms were not just blue and gray. There was a wide array of colors and headgear styles.
Some photographers claimed they could capture images of deceased individuals.
Contact Maur
een Taylor
Maureen Taylor AKA the Photo Detective is a professional genealogist, author and journalist on the topic who’s written tons of books and magazine articles, as well as being a contributing editor at Family Tree Magazine and editorial board member of Legacy Magazine. She’s also been a featured expert on CNN, the Today Show and in Martha Stewart Living. Maureen can be contacted through her website Photo Detective or on Twitter.
About Maureen Taylor
At each junction of your family tree photographs and other visual representations of ancestors are either handed down or discarded. Before you claim that your ancestors weren’t interested in pictures or were too poor to afford them, remember that photography began in 1839, which means it’s possible your ancestors sat for a picture anytime in the last one hundred and seventy years. Even before the first camera, individuals captured their visages in paintings, sculptures, engravings and silhouettes. The fact is you just never know where they are going to turn up.
Ask Maureen to Analyze Your Family Photos
Tucked away in historical societies, archives, and family attics are the forbearers of today’s scrapbooks. These testaments to personal expression are a lot more than just scraps and paste.
By Maureen Taylor
And while we’re on the topic of preserving your old scrapbooks, our team at ScanDigital would like to remind you that having your scrapbooks digitally preserved is a great way to assure they will be around for future generations. Physical scrapbooks will fade, curl and yellow over time, and no matter how well you preserve them, will run the risk of decay. Once your memories are digital, that aging process in essence will be stopped. Our highly trained editors can enhance the photos on your pages almost back to new, leaving you with a better-than-the-original copy. For more information, please learn more about our 
Have an old family photo but have no idea where it’s from? You know, the ones you’ve forgotten about or didn’t know you even had and found unlabeled? That’s where Maureen Taylor, also known as the 
Maureen is famous in the world of genealogy and really knows her stuff. She’s written a bunch of book and magazine articles on the topic, as well as being a contributing editor at Family Tree Magazine and editorial board member of Legacy Magazine. She’s also been a featured expert on CNN, the Today Show and in Martha Stewart Living.
