ANCESTOR PHOTOGRAPHS
from
1840-1940
Search our extensive collections and listings using name, location, and facial recognition; guide our efforts to discover photographs; request a high-res copy or an original itself; preserve your own photographs for future generations.
The above image is AI-generated and is meant to convey the brand and theme of the Visual Ancestor Library and this website.
Featuring
Facial Recognition
AI to help find
lost photographs
comparing persons in your photographs to all persons in our extensive collections including dealer and public collections.
Including
Library of Congress
and other extensive
public collections
incorporated in our searchable library so long as they are in the public domain with free rights to use without restrictions.
for the Genealogist
Discover photographs of your ancestors or preserve those you have for future generations.
Learn Morefor the Dealer
List your antique photographs for sale to the people who would value them the most.
Learn Moredonate to VA
We will digitize and preserve pre-1940 photographs sent to us, safeguarding the originals.
Learn Moresell to VA
We regularly purchase antique photographs and albums from dealers for inclusion in VA.
Learn MorePhotograph Types
We focus on preserving these most popular historical photograph types
FERROTYPE
abt. 1853-1880
Image fixed to a metal sheet produced without the negative process, and thus were the mirror image of the subject
a.k.a. "TinType"
CARTE DE VISITE
abt. 1860-1890
Image fixed to cardstock via the negative process, thus were the same image of the subject, reproduceable, and cheaper
a.k.a. "CDV"
CABINET PHOTO
abt. 1870-1910
Image fixed to cardstock larger in size and weight than CDVs, and were regarded as higher end and thus more sought after
STEREOGRAPH
abt. 1870-1930
Two nearly identical images side-by-side on cardstock that, when viewed through a viewer, presents a stereoscopic 3D rendering of the subject
CARDSTOCK
abt. 1880-1940
Image fixed to cardstock of widely varying sizes usually displaying more decorative framing around the image than on other formats
POSTCARD
abt. 1900-1920
Image fixed to a standard postcard sized and weighted paper usually with the standard postcard mailing format printed on the reverse
PORTFOLIO
abt. 1915 +
Image fixed to paper mounted inside a folded portfolio of heavy paper or cardstock, providing a richer presentation of the photograph
PAPER
abt. 1900 +
Image on paper that is not fixed to any backing or mounting (like cardstock), typically the product of mass-produced cameras and amateur photography
Featured Groups
(Groups of Photographs or Albums)
Top locations:
Top locations:
What We Preserve
We preserve the following various kinds of pre-1940 photograph ephemera
PHOTOGRAPHS
Individual and family photographs up to the WWII period
STEREOGRAPHS
Victorian and Edwardian 3D stereographs of historical persons and places
POSTCARDS
Featuring historical scenes and locations on public domain postcards
ALBUMS
Albums and album content from the Civil War era up through the 1930s
CONTRIBUTIONS
Member contributions of photographs are preserved for future generations
DEALER LISTINGS
Photographs from dealers enhance your chances of finding a real treasure
What We're Working On
We are well through adding 6,722 Civil War photographs (within the Public Domain with no rights restrictions) from the Library of Congress (LOC) to Visual Ancestor. All photographs have already been passed through Facial Recognition and are live; all also have been mined for individuals' names and those are live; we are almost done properly labelling the photographers as this information was not part of the LOC's meta-data.
Get In Touch
We welcome your input, ideas, and collaboration. Please contact us if you would like to preserve your pre-1940 content with the Visual Ancestor library. We will do the "heavy lifting" for you.
Somerset, MA 02726
United States of America