How old are these glass photos?

[Eric T]

This is for the history buffs on RFF.

I scanned some old glass plates that belonged to my Uncle. He was a member of the Colgate family from New England, USA and lived from 1917-1997. I found these plates in my Aunt's garage last spring. I scanned them with an Epson V700 scanner and used the the dust and grain removal options. No other alterations in Photoshop or Aperture were done.

Please see these photos here:
http://homepage.mac.com/ewtriple/Colgate family/
Click on any photo to enlarge. Don't miss the last photo on page 2 - the little girl with a fan. It is priceless.

My guess is that these photos are from about 1900 but I would like to know your opinion. There are many keen eyes on RFF who could probably solve the mystery of the age of these photos.

Many thanks,
Eric

 

[Time Freeze]

Compared to the glass negatives that I have 1900 seems about right. The clothing is what is used to date old photos.

 

[Peter_Jones]

The first one could have been taken yesterday it is that clean an image. I would hazard a guess at 1910-15 approx.

 

[Meleica]

The bicycle helps date it too...I'd say 1905.

Dan

 

[Rodinal Addict]

Eric, these are some really fine images. Do you know what size of glass plate they are on? Sometimes they are left to us stored in the original boxes that the unexposed plates were delivered in. Sometimes there are clues on the boxes.

The Colgate Family... Like the Colgate toothpaste Colgates?

These look to me like early 1900-1905 style dress . Some bikes, horses and wagons. You can assume that these photos were taken before cars were around.

Can your relatives identify any people in thes photos? Maybe together you can guess pretty close based on the apparent age of children. Kids ages are easier to guess than adults.

Photo #13: Is that a casket with flowers? Maybe you can find a known date someone died, and narrow down the date.
Are any of these buildings still known standing today?

Photo #9: There are electric (or telegraph) poles in this image. When did electricity come to this town?

 

[Eric T]

Yes, it is the same family as the Colgate toothpaste family. This was my uncle's mother's family. And my uncle was my mother's sister's husband. So these people are no relation to me. I just think they are interesting photos.
Good ideas all - unfortunately, we think that anyone who could identify these people in the family are probably deceased but I will send to some direct descendants of this family and see if anyone knows these people.
Most of the glass plates are about 4" x 5". So these are large format negatives.
Thanks for your help and ideas.

 

[RML]

Cars were "invented" in 1885, and by 1905 were becoming already more and more common (among the elite). It would pay to check the local city/municipal archives, perhaps for contemporary photos, info on businesses, birth/death registers, etc. Also, do you know who these people are by name? Check the family, especially the older generations.

 

[Eric T]

The problem is that I don't know the name of the town. All I know is that it is likely somewhere in New Hampshire or Maine.
But I may be able to determine the town by talking with Colgate family members and then we are on our way.

 

[feenej]

Neat photos.

 

[shadowfox]

Awesome, timeless seem to barely describe it. Thanks for sharing.