Or the Candlestick in the Library

Maureen Taylor loves a mystery. White not particularly fond of mystery books, put a picture in front of her, and it's an entirely different matter. "It borders on obsession." Don't miss an opportunity to hear Maureen in person on Sat., July 18th at 1 pm at the Gilboa Museum. Bring your questions. Free admission, refreshments will be served.

GILBOA — Maybe you’ve heard stories of the ‘Photo Detective’?  Stories like ‘Maureen Taylor employs CIA identification strategy’ to identify Jesse James in old group photo by a bump on his right ear, or ‘Maureen Taylor finds the earliest known family portrait’ from 1839? Or, another favorite, ‘Maureen Taylor dates a troublesome photo’ by the headlamp on a Lion’s touring car!  Or, maybe you’d just like to identify and protect your family photos for generations to come.

If you haven’t heard her, you can!  Bringing her expertise in photo and family research, Maureen will be speaking at the Gilboa Museum and Juried History Center on Saturday, July 18th at 1pm. 

Taylor’s talk, Uncovering the Secrets of Your Community & Family Photos, From Identification to AI, will address how to follow the clues in your photos to identify who’s in them and the story they are telling. Taylor will also describe preserving originals, organizing digital collections, resources and the tools of AI that are transforming photo research, like facial recognition, restoration, colorization, and image analysis – and where human expertise is still essential.

Incorporating two 'case studies’ provided by the Gilboa Museum, Taylor will illustrate uncovering clues for historical photo identification. “I have talks and books on all of these topics,” Taylor explained. “While there’s no way to include a bit of everything in one talk, I’ll do my best to cover as much as possible.” 

With degrees in history, Taylor has worked for the Rhode Island Historical Society, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and Houghton Mifflin publishing. She is a former president of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society, author of 12 books, an avid blogger, contributing editor to Family Tree Magazine, and a spokesperson and photograph expert for Picasa and MyHeritage.com. A member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Taylor is a keystone in the study of historical photography and family research. 

Maureen was dubbed ‘the Photo Detective’ years ago in a Wall Street Journal feature article detailing her emergence as the ‘nation’s foremost historical photo detective’.  Contributing to the growing interest in ancestry and family histories, Taylor has joined a small group of nationally and internationally known genealogists specializing in identifying the subjects of photographs. After appearances on multiple television shows from The Today Show to Pawn Stars, her business and network of other subject experts has expanded.  

Co-Sponsors for the event are the Stamford, Jefferson, and Middletown Historical Societies. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Maureen in person on Saturday, July 18th at 1 p.m. and bring your questions. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.  The Gilboa Museum and Juried History Center is located at 122 Stryker Rd. Gilboa, NY. 

Programs and Exhibits at the Gilboa Museum are sponsored by:  NY Council for the Arts (NYSCA), Town of Gilboa, Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, R.A. Tait Builders, Gardens by Trista, Grapeville Insurance Agency, NBT Bank of Grand Gorge, NY Power Authority, Purple Mountain

Press, Schoharie Valley Farms, and Sunken City Cider.