Bring your old photos and learn how to date and interpret them at a free hands-on Photo Detectives workshop at Spellow Library.

Do you have old family photographs you would love to know more about? Join historian Dr Brandon Taylorian for a free, hands-on Photo Detectives workshop at Spellow Community Hub Library.

During the session, you will learn practical techniques for dating and interpreting nineteenth- and early twentieth-century photographs. Using real examples, the workshop will explore how clues such as photographic formats, photographer imprints and studio addresses, clothing, hairstyles, props, backdrops and composition can help establish when a photograph was taken.

You will also discover how old photographs can open up wider avenues for family and local history research, helping you uncover stories about people, places and communities that might otherwise remain hidden.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own old photographs to investigate during the workshop. No previous knowledge or experience is required, making the session suitable for beginners, family historians, local history enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in historic photographs.

Photo Detectives on Tour: Dating Antique Photographs Workshops Across Liverpool is led by Dr Brandon Taylorian of the University of Lancashire in partnership with Liverpool Libraries and supported by a Royal Historical Society Scouloudi Public History Grant.

Date: Wednesday 2 December 2026

Time: 3:00pm–5:00pm

Venue: Spellow Community Hub Library, 125 County Road, Liverpool

Cost: Free

For more information about the project, visit https://www.antiquephotographs.co.uk/photo-detectives-on-tour

Description supplied by the event organiser.