Any way to put a date on a photo?

[jackie_nicotera]

<p>Let's say you have an old photo--not the negatives of it, but the original photo itself--and there's no date on it. Are there any tests which can be done to determine when about when the photo itself was printed or when the paper it was printed on was produced, thus getting an approximate date as to around the time it was taken?</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Some maufacturers like Nikon sold camera backs that would inprint the date on the film when exposed, but I'm not sure if there was anything to do it in post processing. Some photographers did print their name address and sometimes a date on the back of a paper print, but as far as test to determine the actual date I'm not sure about.</p>

[Monophoto]

<p>Are you thinking about digitlal processing or analog?</p>

<p>If you are doing digital, your editing software probably has a text layer function that can be used to annotate images.</p>

<p>In analog processing, you would need to make an overlay that you would superimpose on the image as it is being printed. One way to do this is to use Powerpoint to lay out the overlay, and then print it on a sheet of overhead transparency film. Then, when printing, place the overlay over the print. This will create white lettering on the print, and of course you would need to plan to have a dark field in the image so that the white layer would show.</p>

<p>If your area where you want the annotation to appear is white (or light), then you need to make a negative of the overlay. Make the basic print exposure without the overlay, then lay the overlay on the printing paper, and expose to white light. This will place black lettering on the print.</p>

[Monophoto]

<p>Sorry - I saw Harry's response and interpreted it to be the question. Brain cramp!</p>

<p>Dating an old print involves several techniques. One way (the best way) is to look carefully at the image itself for date clues. License plates on cars used to include dates, in street scenes look at store fronts, check out clothing styles, etc.</p>

<p>There may be scientific techniques, but my guess is that they would not be very exact. Potentially you could tell by the degree to which the silver has oxidized, but to do that you would need to know the residual fixer content in the emulsion - which will probably be indeterminant. And scientific techniques may be destructive.</p>

[colin carron]

<p>Assuming you just have a print then unless there is a date on the back or some other obvious clue then the possibilities are pretty wide.</p>

<p>If there are no photographic clues then the only way is internal evidence. This will usually be in the form of the fashions, the cars, etc in the picture. </p>