Can old photo print sizes and border styles help date family photographs?
Asked 12/29/2016
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I have many old family photo prints and would like to estimate when they were made. Can print dimensions such as 2 1/2 x 4 1/4, 3 1/4 x 4 1/4, or 4 x 5 inches be used to date them? Also, can white or decorative border styles on the front of the print help narrow down the time period? Clothing styles are not reliable in this case because clothes were often handed down within the family.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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Using the print size or border style seems like a long shot to me. That could be influenced by film brand, paper brand, chosen print lab and country, let alone time frame. If you do get a time frame, you're more likely to get a decade than a year. That said, antiques or forensics experts may be able to guide you.
Originally by user34203. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user34203
9y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Print size and border style usually aren’t reliable enough to date a photo precisely. Those details can vary by film brand, paper brand, photo lab, country, and the choices made when the print was produced.
At best, they may help suggest a broad era, such as a decade, rather than a specific year. Because of that, there isn’t a universally dependable chart that can date family prints accurately just from size or border design.
If you want a better estimate, a specialist is more likely to help than a print-size chart. An antiques expert, photo historian, archivist, or even a forensic photo specialist may be able to assess multiple clues together and give a more informed date range.
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