The Death of the Photo Album

There is no other way for me to start this read but to express my grief, for the passing of grandma's coffee table photo album. No longer are the days when a set of photos can be removed from a box and pondered over. Digital media has changed the way society has taken and stored their pictures. I, myself, don't print out pictures to display anymore. Just in my generation alone has this shift occurred in history. The race of the photo album is in an endangered status.

This confession comes with concern seeing that I am an archivist. Pictures with notes scribbled on the backs of the photo is very important part of history. The effort to take and develop the pictures caused people to treasure them more. When processing a photo collection, I have the family history in my hands. I am thrilled to find the names of the people in the photo. I get an extra bonus if they write dates, ages and what the event was. My concern is this, will there be photo documentation of families due to the digital photography age?

Digital media is the norm in today's society. There are very few people who don't have a phone with picture capabilities. I live in a tourist town and I see phones out and people taking pictures on their phone of their trip. One can only smile as special memories are captured on phones. History is being captured everywhere yet, printing out pictures and making photo albums are not the norm.

Are people still making photo albums? Do people print out pictures and place them into books? My daughter made me a memory book of my grandson's first year. She uploaded pictures to a companies website and they made a memory book for her. I loved it! I have a book to visit when I want to remember how little he was. I suppose I should consider following her lead so my families photo can be handed down to my children. After all, my history is amazing because they are in it.

Below, I have written the driving force for writing this article.

On January 12, 2023 an important collection was brought to the archives. I am a proud Native American working to preserve our culture and history. The individual had passed away and we needed to rescue the collection. Not less than an hour later my boss was off to gather anything to do with our history. When he returned, he came back with 5 photo albums and hundreds of loose pictures. Included in the collection was boxes of possibly important papers.

My eyes danced from photo to photo. My hands ached to touch and visit each person in the photos. Then, I saw it, a picture of my mother in her regalia. I froze. This man knew my grandfather Joseph Foster Otto. My breath catches each time I can fill in a piece of my families history. My eyes glanced at my boss who stood beaming for he knew that this collection has just became important to me personally.

Notebooks, personal artifacts of his passed by my eyes as boxes were unloaded from the truck. Picture frames emerged and low and behold I have a grouping of faces. Yes, I have a base to identify his family in other picture collections. I know which children belongs to each family. My hands ache to free them from their prison and see if there is anything written on the backs.

My job is to unfold the Native American history in a way that is as unique as the culture. Collections such as this one may have a map or a notebook with an important piece of information that I can place in the timeline. During the time of this collection's contents, one will be able to fill in the moment in history when Robert and Wauneta Dominic began their land rights battle. The man, whom this collection belongs, was one of the wingmen of this famous couple. I carefully pick up a notebook and peek inside and smile. I love my job. The next year will be a challenge but what work this includes will be important.

After bringing in this collection, I began to think about my children. What am I leaving behind for them? Do I have pictures of memories to share with them when I can no longer run around and take pictures? I am the worst person to download my photos to the computer and backing up the computer. I know I too have a place in history. I too need to leave memories for my children. I am sure my daughter would love to teach me how to make my own books.

Above is a picture of my cousin, Yvonne Walker-Keshik. I asked her teach me how to make corn dolls. She agreed and I became the student. This in itself is an historical picture. Yvonne is a well known and highly honored quill box artist. Notice, I am not in it. I am the recorder of history. I took pictures to record the steps of construction. We tugged and tied our dolls together as she spoke the stories I need to teach. In turn, I will become the teacher of this craft. I am the keeper of that story and this skill. Yvonne gave me charge of this responsibility, therefore, history has been made.

To the world, that history really isn't significant but to our culture such teachings are important. The elders are working to enliven the culture and leading the kids down the path. Exciting times are coming for the Native community. I wonder what the children will do to blend technology and the teachings. Either way, I will have to see how they are going to preserve their pictures.

The value of the picture is questionable but my love for it is priceless. Sharing it with you makes it history. A photo can be very important. How will you preserve your pictures in the future?