How to label photos, on prints and in digital files
Label the sleeve or envelope where you can. If you mark a print, use soft pencil on the back near an edge. For digital photos, put date, place and names in the file name and description.
A label is for someone who was not there. Names that seem obvious now, such as Nan or Uncle Pete, mean little two generations later without a surname and a year.
Write what you know and mark what you are guessing. A wrong date written as fact is harder to correct than a blank.
Make a digital scrapbook
Add your photos and keepsakes in tbf scrapbook, then arrange them on the pages.
| Where | What to use | What goes on it |
|---|---|---|
| Back of a paper print | Soft graphite pencil near the edge, print face down on a hard surface | Reference number, names, place, date |
| Glossy or plastic-backed print | Nothing on the print itself | The same details, written on its envelope or sleeve |
| Paper envelope or folder | Pencil | Full label and reference number |
| Storage box | Pencil or a label on the outside | Box number, date range and surnames |
| Digital file name | Date first, hyphens, no spaces | 1962-08-blackpool-smith-family-014 |
| Description or caption field | Typed text in your photo software | Full names, who identified them, the story |
| Scrapbook page | Your own text beside the photo | A short label, or numbers with a key |
| Separate list | A spreadsheet or a notebook | Reference number, every detail, where the original is kept |
| Unknown date | Reference number plus undated or an estimated range | photo-014-undated; estimated 1958 to 1962 in the list |
Marking a print safely
The Library of Congress advises not marking photographs at all where you can avoid it, and labelling the enclosure instead. If you must, use a soft graphite pencil on the back, near the edge.
The American Institute for Conservation adds a step: lay the print face down on a rigid surface while you write, so the pencil does not press a dent through to the image.
Never use ballpoint, felt-tip or gel pens, sticky labels or sticky notes. The glossy plastic backs of many later prints will not take pencil, so label their sleeves instead.
What to write, in what order
Use the same order on every label so a reader knows where to look. Keep it short enough to fit along one edge of the back.
- A reference number that matches the scan and your list.
- Names left to right, with surnames; add ages only when known and appropriate.
- Place: town or street, and the house or venue if known.
- Date: exact if known, otherwise a year or decade marked with c. or a question mark.
- Who named the people, and when, so a later reader can judge it.
Labelling digital files
The Library of Congress suggests replacing names like DSC_0045.JPG with descriptive file names, tagging people and subjects, and writing a short note on how the folders are arranged.
Start a file name with the date, year then month then day, so files sort in order. Use hyphens rather than spaces and keep the name short enough to read in a folder list.
A file name has room for essentials only. Put full names and the story in the description or caption field, then export one photo and open it elsewhere to check the text went with it.
For an estimated date, use a year range or an undated folder rather than inventing a day to fill the filename. Keep the same reference number when a date is corrected.
Labels on a scrapbook page
On a page, the label sits beside the photo rather than on it. Use the same order as the back of the print so the page and the original agree.
For a group photo, put numbered markers on a duplicate image and the names in a key. Keep the original untouched and note any uncertain identifications.
Steps
Number everything first
Give each print a number on its enclosure and put the same number in its scan's file name.
Fill in what you know
Write the names, place and date you are sure of, and mark guesses with a question mark.
Ask relatives
Take copies, not originals, to the people who might know. Write down who named each person.
Copy labels into the files
Type the same details into each digital file's description and into your list, then check that the two match.
Questions
Can I write on the back of old photos?
Prefer a label on the enclosure. If marking is unavoidable and the print accepts it, use light soft-pencil marks on the back near an edge, supported face down on a rigid surface.
What pen is safe for labelling photos?
The Library of Congress recommends a soft graphite pencil rather than any pen. If a print will not take pencil, label its sleeve or envelope.
How do I add names to digital photos?
Put them in the file name if they are short, and in the description or people tags otherwise. Keep a separate list as well, since text added in one app does not always travel with the file.