Photocroms
At the United States Library of Congress they have recently put online more than 6,000 old full color “photochroms” from around the United States and many locations in other parts of the world. The images date from the 1890s to the 1910s showing many scenes of hometowns. If you had an ancestor from one of these locations, it will be of special interest to your family and for your family history.
The photocroms look like colored images simpler to photographs or postcards but are actually ink-based photolithographs, usually 6.5 x 9 inches. The images are of landscapes, architecture, street scenes, and daily life and culture for the town. Being so lovely the photochroms were often collected in albums or framed for display.
The numbers available of scenes across North America is 500. Scenes across Europe and the Middle East number 6,000. For example, in England there are 1,118 images, in Germany 1,207 and in Italy 318 images. For the United States there are 318 images and in Canada is 31. Until you review the images, no telling what might be found. 
On the Library of Congress’ page for the photochroms, scroll down the location list and then click on any of interest. If you select the United States to the left on that page will be the states, regions and scenic places represented with photocroms. Click on one there. Use the double arrow icon to the right to enlarge each image. You can right click on an image to save to your computer.
Note the richness of each of the images, almost a 3D effect.
Photos: 1898 Indian River at Cocoa, Florida; 1900 Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah, GA; 1890 High Street in Bath, England; and Triangelen, a triangular pier where the fish market was located in Bergen, Norway in 1890.
Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:
Family History at Library of Congress
< Return To Blog
Leave a Reply