History of Baby photos http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752 yamikuronue When did it become popular to take photos of newborn babies? I'm wondering if one of my middle-aged protagonists would have one or not. Also, when did color photography become affordable for this sort of use? Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:12:52 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105782 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105782 Aria617 If she's middle aged now, yes (s)he would (both my mom, who's 52 and dad, who's 53, have baby photos.) They're all black and white though through out childhood (last I can think of is my dad at 5 in black and white) so that would be...does math...1964? Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:24:26 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105805 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105805 yamikuronue I'm aiming for mid 1970s for a birthday (making him almost forty now). So probably still black and white? Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:28:44 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105812 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105812 Aria617 If you go by wikipedia, you can go either way: By 1960, color was much more common but still tended to be reserved for travel photos and special occasions. Color film and color prints still cost several times as much as black-and-white, and taking color snapshots in deep shade or indoors required the use of flash bulbs, an inconvenience and an additional expense. By 1970, prices were coming down, film sensitivity had been improved, electronic flash units were replacing flash bulbs, and in most families color had become the norm for snapshot-taking. Black-and-white film continued to be used by some photographers who preferred it for aesthetic reasons or who wanted to take pictures by existing light in low-light conditions, which was still difficult to do with color film. They usually did their own developing and printing. By 1980, black-and-white film in the formats used by typical snapshot cameras, as well as commercial developing and printing service for it, had nearly disappeared. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:30:37 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105817 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105817 lasalle202 My family was poor and cheap - and even with that most of the family photos by the mid and late 60's were in color. I dont recall any black and white photos from the 70's. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:46:38 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105842 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1105842 Dragonchilde Fun tidbit about baby pictures: <a href="http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/ghost_mother_creepy_vintage_baby_portraits_with_mothers_hiding" rel="nofollow">Ghost mothers</a>. It was a 19th century portrait trend where the mothers would hold their babies, but be hidden by curtains, blankets, etc: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:47:06 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1106335 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1106335 Itzika My mom and two of her sisters were born in the sixties, and their baby pictures are in color. Not good color, mind, but not black and white. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:45:25 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1106772 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1106772 keolah Everyone currently alive today was born after the invention of photography. :P Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:54:49 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1106881 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1106881 iwillfinishmynovel I'm in my early 50s; my childhood photos are in b/w w/ very few in color from babyhood. Photos in color are more 1970s (but not the vibrant/vivid colors of today. And I remember black/white being more gray/white. My sister (born in the 50s) has b/w childhood photos. My parents (in their 90s/89s) have photos from their youth - b/w Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:45:57 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1107273 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1107273 lasalle202 totally weird! I can understand the ones where the blanket totally obscurs the mother _and_ all the other background so it looks like the child is just sitting on a blanket. But the ones where she is plainly sitting there with a blanket over her head looking like Cousin It really makes you wonder WHAT WERE THEY THINKING???? Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:55:53 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1107597 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1107597 Irukazab [quote=Dragonchilde] Fun tidbit about baby pictures: <a href="http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/ghost_mother_creepy_vintage_baby_portraits_with_mothers_hiding" rel="nofollow">Ghost mothers</a>. It was a 19th century portrait trend where the mothers would hold their babies, but be hidden by curtains, blankets, etc: [/quote] Oh golly, that is HILARIOUS!!! Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:16:35 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1107623 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1107623 Kitty Ritter We have family baby photos from about 1900 - though not newborn. Old enough to sit up. If the newborn part is important - as in, cord barely cut when the flashbulb goes off - that would be later. Perhaps when it started being acceptable for fathers to be in the delivery room. ('60s? 70's?) Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:43:09 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122900 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122900 andresanthomas I'm not sure I'd call mid-1970's "middle aged" but yes, I can attest that there are black and white and color baby pictures of myself and my brother in 1962 and 1964 respectively. In the 1970's there were relatively cheap Kodak "Instamatic" cameras that took a cartridge of either black and white or color film. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instamatic (see section on Pocket Instamatics). 25 million of them were sold. They were "everyman" cameras for sure. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:14:03 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1123641 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49752?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1123641