Stenton to host Saturday workshop on tracing family trees through old photographs

Pictures may be worth 1,000 words, as the saying goes, but old photographs often don’t provide as much by way of explanation.

To help locals learn more about their lineage by examining those images, Stenton Historical House will host a “Elusive Images: A Workshop Investigating Family Photographs” presentation and workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

“People are curious about family history and their ancestors,” said Kaelyn Taylor, program coordinator, adding that she does not know who is depicted in some photos she inherited from her grandmother. “We are trying to tap into that in a creative way and offer an affordable way for people to learn about their family.”

Event specifics

Anne Verplanck, a historian and Penn State University professor specializing in American portraiture, will talk about different types of photographs.

She will also share different approaches to researching family images.

“By looking at photos, you can get a sense of when it was taken by the process that was used to develop it,” said Verplanck, who will also share the dos and don’ts of caring for the photos. “You can also look at the clothes someone is wearing and that can help us date a photograph.”

The event costs $15 per person and $10 for Friends of Stenton. For more information, go to stenton.org.