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Photos Without Families
Telling the stories of strangers
in lost photos


Franz Maret, son of Carl Friedrich Maret from Berlin
This old photograph came to me from an online shop in Germany. Although it doesn't include the location of the photo studio, there are some valuable clues on the back. The text is written in modern German handwriting, so it’s possible that the names were added much later. It reads:
“Franz Maret, Son of Karl Friedr.
Maret, Berlin, and Dorothea née Lerchen”


Siblings Herbert und Gertrud Ihle from Hamburg, Germany
This sweet photo of the siblings Herbert and Gertrud Ihle was gifted to someone as a New Year’s greeting on December 30th, 1902.


Siblings Franz, Victoria and Anita Brinckman from Harburg, Germany
The photo shows the Brinckmann siblings from Harburg: Franz at age 7, Victoria at age 5 and a half, and baby Anita at 6 months old.


Brothers Alfred, Emil and Bernhardt Höhnig from Bernburg
This charming photograph, found in Germany, shows three brothers: Alfred, Emil, and Bernhardt Höhnig in 1872 in Bernburg, Germany.


Hermann and Wilhelmine Bertha Guenther from Philadelphia
According to the handwritten information, these were Herrmann Günther and his wife Wilhelmine Günther née Peters in America.


Paula Tischer with children Helmut and Ruth from Bautzen
I found this lovely family photo in an online shop. With so many clues, handwritten on the back of the photo, of course I had to buy it.


Auguste Steger née Rosinus from Mittweida
Here’s Auguste Steger who had her photo taken in Mittweida, Germany, in 1896.


Charlotte Wegener née Milinsky
Here we have little Charlotte Milinsky from Berlin. If this photo was taken in August 1903 and she was 1 year and 4 months old at the...


Siblings Adolphine and Heinrich Hinsch
These siblings have been identified as Adolphine and Heinrich Hinsch and the photo was taken in Bromberg (in Bydgoszcz in today’s in...


Frieda Ella Kriesten née Klein
This babe came to me with a name, but had the photo not been labelled with her birth date as well, I probably would have had a very hard...


Agathe Gerbracht Winfield née Lampe
This photo was a birthday gift to Agathe Gerbracht’s mother at Christmas 1890 in New York. The dedication on the back of the photo...


Therese Hebberling
This photo came identified with the name of the person, the names of her brother and her father. I wish it also had a stamp of the photo...


Peter and Magdalena Ernerth from Koblenz
Happy Wedding Wednesday, everyone! Today I want to share a lovely wedding photo with you from 1910. Someone has labelled this photo with:...


Georg Otto Kretzschmer with children
I bought these two photos together at a local antique market in Hamburg. They were taken by the same photographer in Freiburg, Germany....


Ludwig Boecklin von Boecklinsau
The photo shows a young man, Ludwig von Boecklin. The little cross under his name suggests that he died in 1898. The term “von” in front...


Georg Oetling - from Hamburg to Guadalajara
Updated: This original photo has gone home to family! It can be challenging to differentiate between Victorian era boys and girls. The...


Brick Walls, Part 9: Therese Schumann, Oskar Zechendorf, Grete Lenthold
Here we go again - sharing some of my Brick Walls with you. I'd love to find their story, but even though the photos are identified, I'm...


Brick Walls, Part 8: Käthe Tümler, Gabriele Bauer, Wilhelm and Elisabeth Ostwald
Pain is so close to pleasure, they say. Would you believe that this applies to genealogy as well :)? The moment I find a lost photo,...


Ewald Steffen from Magdeburg
On October 16, 1906, Ewald Steffen sat down at his desk in Magdeburg and dedicated this photo to his dear friend Richard Nauendorff....


Ocke and Lina Nerong from Bergedorf
This photo came to me fully identified with a location, names and even birth dates. It reads: Lina Nerong (born in 1879) née Eehlers,...
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