My family

16 August 11


1951

While I was housesitting at my parents' house a couple of weeks ago, I gave myself a little project to digitise all our really old family photos. Turns out it's actually quite a time consuming 'little' project because scanning things as 600DPI TIFFs takes F O R E V E R, so I'm only a little way through the 3 albums and bag of loose photos that my mum dug out. It has to be done though, because they are fading fast (the 70s and 80s colour prints seem particularly bad, some of my baby photos are basically a red tinted blur) and to lose them would be a terrible shame.

Most of these are of my grandma in Ukraine and Russia. There's a running joke in my family that she doesn't age / has a TARDIS because she's looked identical since the 1960s, so I love trying to guess the dates (which helpfully are written on the back of most prints). Let me know if you guys want to see more, because I can't decide if this is really self-indulgent and I'm the only person who would possibly be interested? I love other people's old photos though!


1985


1952


1969


1950 / date unknown


1960


1947


1956


1971 (second from the right is my mum at 13!)


1960


1956 / 1953


1978


1957


1967


1964


1966


date unknown (this photo is amazing, I love the kid looking straight at the camera. My grandma was a teacher, so this was probably her class)

Categories

Comments

Oh Kristina, I would LOVE to see more! I really like looking at other people’s old photographs too, and the fact that these were taken in Russia and Ukraine just makes them even more interesting!

andrea replied over 11 years ago.

I could have waited another minute and just replied to your comment with “this”. Pretty much identical responses, haha.

Michelle replied over 11 years ago.

oooh! I feel the same! They are so neat, I am also studying Russian in University so it is always fun when you can read the dates and places!!

I should scan some of my old family photos. Older pictures are always more neat!

cait replied over 11 years ago.

Love these. It’s always interesting to look through old photos, even if you don’t know the people. I say post some more :)

Jimena replied over 11 years ago.

These are great, and I would definitely like to see more. The fact they were taken in Ukraine/Russia make them interesting to me – and I do like seeing old photographs!

Michelle replied over 11 years ago.

these look remarkable! i should digitize my family’s old photos, too.

yujean replied over 11 years ago.

Definitely post more, I LOVED seeing them!

Rachael replied over 11 years ago.

I just loooove these old black & white photos! Great post!

Have a nice day! xo

sarah replied over 11 years ago.

oh these are lovely! i love looking at other people’s old family photos, so keep them coming!

i’ve always meant to do this for my dad’s side, as my grandmother passed when i was 6 and no one has really expressed an interest in the boxes & boxes of photos she left behind. but i don’t have a scanner! maybe i’ll ask for one for xmas.

Katy replied over 11 years ago.

Ooh! Fantastic photos! I love looking at old photo albums. Thanks for posting these. I look forward to seeing more!

A while ago, I posted some scans from some of my family’s photo albums. Take a looksee if you’re interested :)

part 1: http://hercoffin.net/blog/?p=1720
part 2: http://hercoffin.net/blog/?p=2166

Jolene Frances replied over 11 years ago.

Oh I LOVE those! x

kris atomic replied over 11 years ago.

I LOVE THESE KRIS. Totally share more!

I definitely see the family resemblance. Also, everyone’s clothing looks so nice and neat and well-made. I think these are the first “old school” family photos I’ve ever seen from a European family…there are really some differences from my scrubby US relatives! ;)

Melissa replied over 11 years ago.

My Grandmother has a lot of photos that look similar to yours! And they used to live in Vladivostok:) Great post, Kris<3

Antonia at Swedish Love Affair replied over 11 years ago.

These are so lovely! I wish my Granny had more photos from her youth.

chuck replied over 11 years ago.

I love old photos! Infact today myself, sister, mum & aunt have all been searching through piles and piles of my grandmothers photos. She has recently past away and we are going to scan in all the old photos and try and do some kinda historical record for the next generation…..like you say though, its a big job. 85years of photos! So lovely to see the fashion, buildings etc

Selena replied over 11 years ago.

I love looking at other people’s old photos too. My BFF just brought over a box full of photos from his childhood the other week. We’ve known eachother 10+ years but I hadn’t seen even half the photos in that box. So much fun!

These are amazing and, despite not knowing anyone in the photos, I could stare at them for hours! Can’t wait to see the ones from your childhood. Makes me wanna dig up all my family photos and scan ’em in, too. You make a good point about them fading. Would be a huge shame.

Kim replied over 11 years ago.

What an amazing woman! You’re right she barely changes throughout the photos. I especially love the 1947 portrait and the last one of her classroom.

Vanessa replied over 11 years ago.

Владивосток?? Цхалтуба?? Any Soviet origins??? Brilliant photos! Such a great source of inspiration… Memories brought through so many years. Great post!

kissinia replied over 11 years ago.

Yes! I was born in Odessa and grew up in Russia, my whole family is Ukrainian :)

kris atomic replied over 11 years ago.

These are FANTASTIC. My Mum is desperately trying to do the same thing as this, but most of hers are on slides and the slide-scanner-in-to-your-computer-thingy is so expensive!
I love finding old pictures of my family, though. I collect them and put them all around my desk as inspiration while I’m working!

Anna replied over 11 years ago.

I LOVE this! I am super super interested in old family photos of any kind – they’re so great! I just digitized a few hundred photos for my dad for father’s day, his parents both just passed and left many many boxes of family photos from the 50’s and 60’s..and many in the 40’s from Ukraine as well! So funny to see the similarities in some of these photos :) (I swear the group shot from 1956 could be something from our collection!!)

Natalie replied over 11 years ago.

Wonderful photos Kris, lucky you to have them. I was fortunate to inherit some of my dad’s parents photos when my step-grandma (who was also my great-half-aunt, long story!! :) passed away. I’d love to see more of your photos, and you’ve encourage me to get mine out and maybe I’ll post some of them.
mj.
x

Melissa Jaine replied over 11 years ago.

These are gorgeous! I love old photos. Thanks for sharing these!

Joy replied over 11 years ago.

must catch up with your blog. but just wanted to say, I love looking at old photos, both my family’s and other’s. :)

Kathryn replied over 11 years ago.

I love old photos too! Everyone looks so dapper! Thanks for sharing them! The paper hats everyone is wearing in the last photo are amazing!

If you’re looking for a place to store and display your old photos, may I recommend 1000memories? ( http://www.1000memories.com ) (shameless plug) It’s a sort of digital shoebox for housing old family photos and stories.

Amy replied over 11 years ago.

Thank you so much for the link, I hadn’t seen that site before! I love it, will definitely put some up when I’m done organising them all. x

kris atomic replied over 11 years ago.

lovely treasures!

hearttypat replied over 11 years ago.

Wonderful photos!!!

Myssja replied over 11 years ago.

Lovely photographs. I love love love vintage photos!

Isabelle replied over 11 years ago.

I love old b/w photos, in fact I’ve actually just started collecting old portrait/group photos, mainly from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. So yes, I’d love it if you posted more! I just love looking at the hair and clothes of the times… ~Sara

Sara replied over 11 years ago.

It’s funny how some women in Russia still wear those hairdoes… And I always liked the way you have the inscription “For the memory” on photos.
Here’s my grandma, third from the right:

Liaissan replied over 11 years ago.

My grandma still has the exact same hair as the 1985 photo :D

kris atomic replied over 11 years ago.

…Seems like the html code got censored, here’s the link:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VUOuW8aEdS8/TkvISsZM6fI/AAAAAAAAAUA/JpmpS9nrT_o/s640/163.jpg

Liaissan replied over 11 years ago.

lovely photo! x

kris atomic replied over 11 years ago.

I love this, Kris! I really do. I’ve always loved seeing old family photos, be it my own, someone I know or even a complete strangers. Isn’t it great? Well, these are. I’ve had a post just like this (although mostly hippie photos of my folks in the 70’s), half finished on my blog for months. Perhaps this is the inspiration to finish it and share it. More, more, more – please! :)
x

Sarah KANE replied over 11 years ago.

fantastic photos.

Hannah replied over 11 years ago.

I love them, do post more!

daria replied over 11 years ago.

Thank you for sharing. They are lovely. And you are right, she does look the same in all the pictures. I really need to digitize my family pictures as well.

Judy replied over 11 years ago.

Oh, nothing more interesting to add than yes, keep publishing them! Love looking at old photographs.

Isabelle replied over 11 years ago.

Hi Kris! U r so lucky to have pictures of ur mom n grandmom!! i wish i had such pics from my family!! Please put more especially ones showing how different the homes/places looked in the older days(if u have them).. :D thanx!

Reva replied over 11 years ago.

There are so few that are indoors, I wish there were more! I think because of the way older cameras worked, they needed lots of light. It’s a shame though! x

kris atomic replied over 11 years ago.

То-то я думаю, что на Россию похоже) Очень хорошие фотографии)

Lizaveta replied over 11 years ago.

Как здорово!!! Находить интересных людей по всему миру!

kissinia replied over 11 years ago.

I absolutely love these! Please post some more :)

Miss Celanius replied over 11 years ago.

I really like this post, I love looking at old photos ! I hope you will show us some more :)

Narumi replied over 11 years ago.

Love these pictures! I would love to see more :)

Sweet Harvest Moon replied over 11 years ago.

[…] Earlier this week Vanessa posted photos from her first roll of film from a 35mm SLR, and Kristina posted some of her family photos from Ukraine and Russia. I thought it’d be fun to follow […]

Are you kidding? Definitely show more! And tell me more stories behind the photos. You’re so lucky your old family photos are dated. That was smart… whoever did that. Ours aren’t, and its so hard to tell. Thanks for sharing.

Julia Manchik replied over 11 years ago.

Also, how is it that every Russian handwriting looks exactly the same?

Julia Manchik replied over 11 years ago.

I know, it’s crazy! I think they’re much more strict about it, I remember when I was at school we would spend so much time on handwriting practice, with guides and special overlay sheets and everything! In the UK, no-one cared as long as it was legible.

kris atomic replied over 11 years ago.

Wow, these photos are amazing! Everyone of them look so cute!

Melwa replied over 11 years ago.

I really enjoyed looking at them. I’m Ukrainian, but stumbed on in on a totally unrelated subject. Your grandma kind of looks like my aunt. More, please :)

Natalia replied over 11 years ago.

I love old photos. Anyone’s old photos.

Brittany Erin replied over 11 years ago.

Hey girl..I am from Georgia ! (ГРУЗИЯ)
I love all ur illustrations and of course I adore your blog !
I am happy, that I found those old pics.enjoyed ..
so we are neighbours.aren’t we?

Manana replied over 11 years ago.

Excelente sitio, gracias por tantos viajes a Europa

viajes a europa replied over 11 years ago.

New comment




Hi, I'm Kris. This is an archive of my blog as it was from 2007 to 2014. It's no longer updated but feel free to browse through the past.

 

You can find my recent work at krisatomic.com, or drop me an email and say hello. 

Back to top