The Photo Detective

You probably know Mary Tedesco from The Genealogy Roadshow, a popular PBS genealogy based program that aired from 2013 to 2016.  But did you know that Mary is also very involved with the Daughters of the American Revolution and is passionate to get more women patriots recognized by the organization.  Women patriots? You’re probably wondering if that’s possible. It is. One woman, Elizabeth Caldwell...

Finding a Home for the Hollenbergs Internet Archive National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections Catalog of American Portraits The Art of Family Watch my YouTube Channel. Like the Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos at https://www.facebook.com/MaureenPhotoDetective/ . Sign up for my newsletter. Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing...

What were your revolutionary era female ancestors doing during the war? Our foremothers played crucial roles during the Revolutionary War. They followed their men folk caring for them daily.  They kept businesses solvent and farms functioning while their men were away. Most of their contributions are unknown because so many women didn’t speak of their service. Some even raised up the musket.  Ther...

This episode is about one of my historical heroes.--Benson Lossing, who wrote a travelogue of the American Revolution, 75 years after the Battle of Lexington and Concord.  It’s possible to follow in his footsteps even today. I did it and you can too. About Maureen Taylor: Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and ge...

Today's brides wanting a vintage wedding piece together historical details for every aspect of the wedding ceremony and reception. Their inspiration might be a family photo or a family story. In this episode, I discuss wedding planning tips and how they might just help you read the clues in your older family photos. The history of weddings can lead you to uncover a new family story. One pictu...

I have trouble leaving wedding photos in antique shops and so does my guest, Charlotte Sibtain. I love meeting other people passionate about photos. Charlotte is a London based researcher who has a hobby—collecting twentieth-century wedding photos. Her Instagram #Vintageweddingphotos feed features some of the images she’s rediscovered. In this episode We talk about wedding photos, how she started...

June is for weddings and graduations but sometimes the photo clues get mixed up. In this episode, I'm talking about wedding pictures and how to sort out the evidence. White dresses don't always signify a wedding sometimes it's a graduation dress and in other cases, it's just a summer dress. If the clues in the picture match what you know about an ancestral couple, you might hav...

Scott Fisher, host of Extreme Genes shares his search for a photo and how patience paid off. You won't believe the twists and turns in this story. About Maureen Taylor: Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., Lon...

The Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia has a new educational space. It mirrors the neighborhood that once occupied the spot where the museum stands. While at the Museum, I was given a tour of their new educational space, Revolution Place which is on the lower level of the museum. Curator Mark Turdo spoke with me about this exciting new space for children to learn about the Revolutio...

Ever wonder where the business of photography is going? That's the premise of this podcast. Find out why genealogists and image makers are facing the same struggles with managing their pictures. It's a word that begins with an M. The Dead Pixels Society, formed in 2009, provides news and information to businesses in the photo imaging area. My guest, Gary Pageau, is principal of InfoCircl...

Today’s podcast is special. A year ago the folks at Rootstech asked me to present a Ted Style talk at the conference. Of course, I said yes. These short-form talks are very popular on YouTube and at Live Tedx events. Our photographs reveal so much about our ancestors and provide us with new insights into ourselves. I worked with an amazing coach to put it together. Carol Cox of Speaking Your Brand...

This episode focuses on my Last Muster project.  Almost two decades ago I started looking for images of individuals who lived during the American Revolution and into the age of photography after 1839.   It’s been an amazing journey. Two volumes with a third in the works, two museum exhibits (one permanent at the Museum of the American Revolution) and three films. Thank you for joining me on this j...

The Vivid-Pix Restore fix just got even better. A new patented process makes their picture improvement add new depth to your pictures. Randy Fredlund is back on the show to talk about his most recent patent and how the whole patent process works. Sign up for my newsletter at https://maureentaylor.com/. Links: Get a free trial by clicking this link: https://vivid-pix.com/RESTORE?pop_code=3pdPix Rel...

Ever wish you could use facial recognition software to compare your photos? Bob Schmitt created Visual Face Recognition to compare images. It's cool! One of his first projects was helping Las Vegas casinos catch card-counting MIT students using facial recognition technology Links: Sign up for my newsletter:https://maureentaylor.com/newsletter-signup/ Like the Facebook Page so you get notified...

A single photo of her grandmother Fannie inspired Rachael Rifkin's work. She focuses on bridging the gap between generations, cultures, and backgrounds by concentrating on our similarities and listening to each other's stories. Sign up for my newsletter at https://maureentaylor.com/. Links: Show Notes: Learn more about Rachel's images https://www.huffpost.com/entry/family-resemblanc...

In this episode, I'm talking about sharing your photos online. Old photos and new ones. You won't believe what's a "thing" on Instagram and how our photos figure into developments in facial recognition. Sign up for my newsletter at https://maureentaylor.com/. Links: Show notes at https://maureentaylor.com/spring-cleaning-your-photos/ Like the Facebook Page so you get notif...

Kondoizing is good for your clothes but not for your heirloom photos. But what is a person to do? This episode offers tips for tackling your images, from digital overload to ancestral images. What to do and how to share and store them. Sign up for my newsletter at https://maureentaylor.com/. Links: Show notes at https://maureentaylor.com/spring-cleaning-your-photos/ Like the Photo Detective Facebo...

Joe Bott is passionate about reuniting pictures with families. That’s the premise behind DeadFred, the oldest photo reunion site. We talk about when and why Joe started Dead Fred, and we find out if there is a real Fred. Ways you can use the site: You can search for missing family photos by surname or place You can upload images for others to find You can research photographers Each image file con...

My guest is James Morley, a UK based photo historians who’s created a very cool World War 1 resource called A Street Near You. What is A Street Near You? It explores the local legacy of the First World War. Photos of individuals who died in the war are pinned to a map with data. We discuss how he created the site, and how users can make the most of it. There are currently five sources from which t...

Rootstech is the largest genealogy conference in the U.S. if not the world. Seriously!  This is one conference you have to prepare for, so in this episode I share tips: What to Wear How to Plan (Hint: Use the app) Sign up for the Virtual Pass Don't miss the Keynotes (or my two lectures) Visit the Exhibit Hall for bargains. Since this episode taped on Valentine's Day it's appropriate...

I love my city.  It now shows. I have a new website: https://oldpvd.com. It runs on https://chronocharts.com, an interactive web platform developed by GeneaLabs, bringing historical maps and photos together. Images of buildings are pinned to a historical map based on their date of construction. Historical information is available. You can add your knowledge of a marker in the comments too. I'm thr...

Family tree charts have come a long way from the ones our nineteenth-century ancestors framed.  Janet Horvoka of Family Chartmasters joins me to chat about charts.  I guarantee after listening you'll want one.  I know I do. I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your my...

Raise your hand if you've taken a DNA test or given one to a family member.  Joining me this week is Diahan Southard, Your DNA Guide.   She's among the industry leaders teaching us about how to use DNA for family history research.  You won't forget one of Diahan's lectures! I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions....

It's true. Three of the profiles in The Last Muster series are now short documentary films, called A Trio of Revolutionary Voices.  Pamela Pacelli Cooper, President of Verissima Productions and her husband Rob Cooper helped make this dream a reality. Your support of our Kickstarter campaign did too. Don't miss this episode of how we turned a non-fiction work into a film. I'm thrilled to...

Randy Fredlund of Vivid-Pix joined me to talk about imaging and how Vivid-pix works. He's the co-founder of the company.  It's a magical product. Upload an image and take your pick of the enhanced version you like. You can tweak it further too. I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and...