What do you do with a box of mementos that belonged to a departed loved one? Or an album with black and white photos of unknown people? Adult children often face this dilemma when moving parents to nursing homes or cleaning out parents’ homes after they have passed away. What do we do with this stuff? Real life questions that pertain not only to our personal lives, but the day-to-day operations of a historical society.
I recently sat down with my almost 92-year-old mother to sort through a box of family photos and memorabilia. Gazing at photos from her mother’s generation brought back some of the names and places, but not all. Sticky notes went on the identified photos. But what about the photos of people lost to time and memory? Surely the photo was taken to capture a significant life event and special day. What happens to the evidence of a life well-lived and enjoyed? Can we simply “throw away” these items when the information about them no longer exists in living memory?
The eBay website has more than 29,000 listings for vintage and antique cabinet photos and tintypes of unidentified men, women, and children. Beautiful, posed photos with the subjects dressed in their finest attire. Captured in a moment of time that is forever lost. Nameless people, relegated to a $5 bid.
These same thoughts are relevant to the preservation of history and the dilemma facing museums and historical societies. What do you do with photos or paintings of unknown people? Before computers, museums and historical societies relied on hand-written ledgers and records for accessioning donations. Provenance relies on accurate record-keeping. Unfortunately, records can get lost, misfiled, or inadvertently destroyed; in some instances, accession records were not done.
All too often, the people with the answers have passed away and left no known record. For historical societies, it often comes down to a practical decision. Is there space to store unknown photos or paintings? Does it serve our mission to save these photos and paintings? Do we attempt to identify these people via social media or other outlets? How much time and energy should be devoted to this project?
I recently came across a website called deadfred.com, a genealogy photo archive. Only pre-1960 photos of deceased people can be uploaded to this site. Photos without a surname will be tagged as “mystery” photos. The websites tag line reads “Trace your roots for free with our searchable database containing thousands of identified and mystery photos for genealogy enthusiasts looking for long-lost family.” There are over 162,000 records on just this website.
“When an elder dies, a library burns to the ground.” The importance of capturing family stories, photos and memories cannot wait. Take the time to talk with older family members. Dig up the family photo albums and scan the photos. Share the photos with family. Start the conversation. Ask the questions. Trigger the memories. Identify the photos. Record the stories. For once history is lost, it is lost forever.
The unidentified photos that my mother and I looked at were placed in a separate pile. The following day I asked her what to do with them. She said, “You may as well get rid of them.”
Naomi Ingraldi is on the Board of Trustees of the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society.
