Check for written clues Does the photographers studio name appear on either side of the photograph? If so, you may be able to date it to the period when the photographer was active. You can also look out for handwritten notes on the back of the photograph such as names, events or locations.

What do you call an old photograph?

Daguerreotypes are sometimes called the first photographs, but in truth they were more like the first Polaroid prints. Like a Polaroid, and unlike photographs exposed from negatives, a daguerreotype was a unique image that could not be reproduced.

Why couldnt you smile in pictures?

Another common explanation for the lack of smiles in 19th century photographs is that, because it took so long to capture a photograph back then, people in pictures couldnt hold a smile for long enough. But, she says, while smiling in general may be innate, smiling in front of a camera is not an instinctive response.