Ideas to display old family pictures?

[MichelleinMaine]

We've recently gotten some photos of DH's relatives (grandparents, great grandparents and great great grandparents) and an aunt just gave me some of my own great and great great grandparents. (Also have a few of my grandparents and great grandparents from the other side already.) I'd love to display them, but not sure how. There are probably 20 or so (they are scans, so can be made to any size I want.)

One thought was putting them all in silver frames, grouped on a wall. (I'd even thought something like oval ones for DH family, rectangle for mine? but all silver?)

Any other clever ideas? Thanks!

 

[happily single]

I love collage frames for family pictures. maybe one shape for your family and another shape for your husaband?

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

You could get a picture displayer. It runs through a series of photos over and over.

One year I took a bunch of family photos and scanned them (so as not to ruin the originals). I then printed them off and cut them into different shapes and glued them onto different colored papers (kind of like scrapbooking). I then hung them on the Christmas tree-- these were my ornaments. My family and everyone else that saw the tree flipped. They spent lots of time looking over the tree at the pictures. I did this for 2 straight years.

 

[walden]

I have a display of black and white family pictures in black and silver frames* on the wall of the stair well, but you could do this on any wall.

They are all different shapes and sizes but keeping the photos all black and white and the frames in the same overall style or color keeps it cohesive. You can see my photo wall from the foyer and individual portraits are often asked about by visitors. A fun way of sharing family history as they range from my great-great grandparents in 1906 to our brand new great-nephew in 2010!

I didn't put DH's family in one shape frame and mine in another, but that is a very nice idea.

*The frames are black with silver detail not black and/or silver frames, if that makes sense!

 

[golfgal]

I found some antique looking silver frames at Walmart several years ago to hold my Grandparent's wedding photos. They look very nice. I would try to find something like that. If you put old photos in more "modern" frames they won't look right, I don't think. I like the idea of doing different shapes or frame colors for each family though. Mix them up for more interest on the wall. I like to lay them on the floor by the wall I will use and arrange them there first so I can see what they will look like on the wall. If you mix frame sizes and shapes but have the same finish on them they will seem like one larger photo and look really nice. Maybe throw in one or 3 small frames that are a little different for some depth-if you do silver, put in 3 that are 2x3 size in a similar style but black, for example.

 

[SpecialK]

A friend of mine displays all of her family pictures on one wall, organized around a long decorative plaque that has the line from that Brad Paisley song, "Just Because Two People Fell in Love" painted on it. All the frames are different shapes and sizes, but the same color. It looks really nice.

(Maybe it's "All Because..."?)

 

[pyrxtc]

If they are all black and white then I would go buy a bunch of different size and color/shape frames and print the off in all sizes and put them up on the wall that way. We did this with my mom's pictures and it looks awesome. Just make sure all the frames are of the same material, all wood or all metal. I think wood offers you way more choices.

 

[hoosll]

Family pictures are WONDERFUL.

First, be sure to label them on the back with photo safe ink. Use full names and birth/death dates if you know them ...

Then scan them so you have electronic copies.

I have my family pictures in a grouping on the wall, each frame and matting is different but similar. All are in black/white or sepia. I chose to display my ancestors in their childhood portraits ...

If you belong to ancestry.com, it is very easy to add scan photos of your ancestors to your family tree and the pictures are then preserved ...