Family photographs are hard to date once the generation pictured has passed away. Many people have unidentified photos in their collection. Determining an approximate date may help you to know whether the woman in the photo is your grandmother or your great-grandmother. This is where costume dating can be helpful.

Fashion, especially women’s fashion, was very distinctive in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Becoming familiar with certain popular silhouettes enables one to assign a date range to a photograph, thus helping to identify those pictured. This lecture is presented by Ellie Carlson, Curator of Costume for the Winnetka Historical Society.