Long before I took up the collection and study of old photographs I was an archaeologist. In examining old images, there is a close analogy to the analysis of archaeological artifacts. Photographs are artifacts, and they have much to tell us about the past.
Photographs as Artifacts
Artifacts are most useful when they can be studied in situ — in the place they were discovered — as an assemblage of related materials. Archaeologists prefer undisturbed site when they can find them, because those have the greatest potential informational value.
Lissie & John McAllister - July 23, 1849 Daguerreotype by W & F Langenheim, Philadelphia PA
For photographs, the analogy is a collection of photographs that are historically related. They may be a collection of family photos, or the work of one photographer, or even a mixed collection of images for one locality, such as might be found in most local history museums.
Collections
In each case, the informational value of the photograph collection, as a whole, far exceeds the sum of the individual pictures. That they are in the same collection offers clues to the identification and dating of individual items.
The same person in different photos can establish a chronological sequence as we see that person age. Background details from that sequence can help date changes in the environment — such as the house or landscape, or technological implements.
Another common type of photographic collection is the old photo album. It is not uncommon for an old album to include enough clues written on the pages or backs of old photos, for us to identify the family, or even individual owner from a century ago.
Photographs as Collectibles
Photo Album and Selected Pages From an eBay Auction
The antiques market, however, does not recognize the informational value of photographic collections, but rather discounts the collective value to the sum of the individual pieces, or even less. Hence there is every incentive for photograph dealers to buy up old albums and other collections, in order to sell off the individual photos one by one, at a profit.
Worse, some dealers remove the choice ‘valued’ images from the collection, for individual sale, and replace them with left-overs from another similarly treated collection, then sell the whole as if it were an intact collection.
Just as archaeologists can tell when a site has been ‘potted’ — dug by artifact hunters — an experienced photo historian can detect ‘fill’ in an otherwise intact collection of related images. But no archaeologist can reconstruct a site from a collection of artifacts.
We would not have half as many old photographs available today if not for the efforts of antique dealers from the past, so I am not trying to suggest there is anything wrong with the profit motive. Far from it. We all have to make a living.
Preserving the Data
I suggesting that prior to breaking up any photographic collection — be it an inheritance to be spread among many descendants, or a commercial purchase — please consider documenting as much as possible the collection in it’s entirety.
Ideally, all old photos should be scanned at 300 dpi or greater resolution, in full color, both sides. If space is not a great concern, use a non-lossy file format, or save space by using JPEG but choose high quality jpeg settings to minimize image degradation.
Young Lady in Hooped Skirt - 1860s By B W T Phreaner, Hagerstown MD
Include a text file describing the history of the collection, so far as it is known. Put the whole digital collection on one DVD, and make plenty of copies. Distribute those to ensure long-term preservation. Give them to any identified family and local history museums for localities represented in the collection.
You could even send a copy to any (or all) of the many websites that sell digital copies of old images — such as this site — and use the profit motive to your advantage, to ensure that the information in those images is preserved and made available.