They
are probably hidden in a box (or several boxes) in the attic or the basement.
Maybe they’re on the top shelf (the one you can’t reach without a step ladder) in
the closet. And they are the key to memories that will invite you
to write about them. Whether your photos were taken with a Kodak Brownie camera
or a new Smart Phone, they capture moments and people, past and present, that lead you to your huge memory bank.
I
don’t have to tell you that keeping them in a box won’t help anybody. You know
that. Every winter one of my friends says she plans to go through the boxes and
sort them when it’s too snowy to go outside. After the winter we just endured
in the northeast, she should have them all neatly placed and captioned in acid-free pages
of her albums. Of course it didn’t happen – but maybe next year.
For the sake of your descendants, PLEASE
identify photos. Make it a family project and invite all generations to
participate. Don’t wait until old photos elicit blank stares and the question
“Who is that?” Keep your ancestors alive through your stories about them and
photos that bring them to life.
The
mechanics of identifying photo subjects can be a tricky business. Most
archivists prefer writing on the back of the photo rather than the front. The
tool you use can be very important – you want to avoid bleeding through and you
want to avoid using an instrument that requires pressure to write legibly. A
good source for knowledgeable recommendations is your local photo or
scrapbooking supply stores. If you
decide to use a permanent felt-tip marker, a popular choice, test it in a corner first. Then be sure to allow
the ink to dry before you put it away or stack it.
Choose the photos that tell a story,
that remind you of something or someone and make your memories come to life.
Jot down notes about what you want to write, put the photo with the notes and
make this the next project in your Personal History.
Don't forget that you don’t have to worry about
writing your Personal History chronologically. Just write.
JG
Entry
Our
family photos are sorted by year with each album representing a span of time
and the segment of the family it represents. I admit that it wasn’t my doing,
but my determined husband who took on the job years ago. One of the
perks of having them so well organized follows:
When
my cousin Cora invited me to visit her in Encino, California three years ago, I
looked forward to spending time with her and her husband, Oliver. She and I are
two of the last remaining members of our family, each of us having our own
memories and stories. As with many families, a rift between her grandparents
and mine during the 1950s resulted in the unfortunate fact that we had not
known each other until we were adults. We needed that week together to exchange
recollections and fit some of the family puzzle parts together.
I lost a night’s sleep when I realized that
I had no idea what to bring as a house gift. Having never visited her home, I
didn’t even know her color scheme or style. I asked Cora’s daughter, Molly, who
was nearby attending NYU at the time. “They love roses,” she told me. “The main
color scheme in the house is earth colors.” My creative juices were drying up.
About ten days before my trip, I woke up one
morning with my idea. I pulled out the albums with the appropriate years and
family designations and started looking through them. There they were: photos
of Cora’s mother as a teenager and me as a toddler, family holiday photos
showing her parents and mine, summers at the beach with her grandparents and
mine.
Taking my cue from scrapbooking friends, I took the originals to Milford Photo and made copies of each photo I chose. Then I carefully trimmed them in silhouette and organized
them into a collage. A visit to the framing store finished the unique gift that
Cora placed in her family room the moment I gave it to her. Success!
Now
it’s your turn.
If
you’re not sure how to move forward with this, email me (judy@as-you-recall.com)
to arrange a complimentary consultation.
No comments:
Post a Comment