Preserving antique photos of people you don't know?

I have a steamer trunk full of memorabilia left in my house by the old couple who lived here decades ago. They died in the 1970s with no heirs. The house was sold on the courthouse steps and the trunk was left in the attic at some point. Looking through it I have a pile of old photos from late 1800s - early 1900s. No idea who these people are, but it wouldn't take any effort for me to scan them with my phone. Anyone ever heard of a "lost & found" for old photos? I'd think at this point of facial recognition software someone would have created something like that for just such a task.

If you have their names, try one of the genealogy web sites? 

ancestry.com or something might have another branch of the family tree on it.

With no one to comment on who the people are, and no notes on the back, I suspect they are of little value to anyone.  Perhaps a local historical society would have some interest?

small town?   if so, the local historical society is a good bet, even if it's only to scavenge a few to be filler in a "this is what people looked like around here 100 years ago" display.

At a minimum, donate to a local museum with the name of the couple.

There is a woman who specializes in this. https://maureentaylor.com/category/ask-maureen/  Maybe she would have a good suggestion. Genealogy is a hobby of mine, and this would be treasured if you could find the right person in the extended family. Family history can be everything to some people.

Good point about the facial recognition tech. I bet in a few years there will be some app or service that will scan them all into an online database and "tag" them to all living descendants through whatever social media platform based on probability of being related.

Photoshop/ PS Elements actually does facial rec pretty well if you scan them in. Google photos also. But you would still need to find someone to match to. Unless you can hack into the DMV. Or gov't agency of your choosing.

I have their names, along with some of the names of the people they corresponded with. I've already sharpened my Google-Fu to locate an old family business.

The stacks of postcards are kind of cool, but I fear totally worthless.

Baring any of that the local library often has connections with the historical groups in the area, especially in small towns. So they're a good spot to start.

Old postcards sell well at antique shops. I would think stacks of them would have some value, even if you just Etsy them as a bulk purchase.

Margie

If the postcards are of a long gone tourist trap or of somewhere that has changed significantly (say Vegas), there’s usually at least a bit of demand for them.

The photos of the humans might not be of interest, but if they happen to be standing on Main St. America somewhere, the stuff in the background might be cool to the right people.

In reply to slefain :

They’re not worthless, people definitely collect the old photos & post cards. It might not be worth your time to sell them individually, but there’s a dealer or collector out there who’ll buy the whole lot. 

However, if you have time to kill(pun intended) you might want to look for any death pictures, as those are worth a little bit more. 

Pete Gossett said:

In reply to slefain :

However, if you have time to kill(pun intended) you might want to look for any death pictures, as those are worth a little bit more. 

Thank goodness I haven't come across any of those. I know exactly what those are.

I did find some slides of Disney Land being built. They show the jungle ride and steam boat without water (just the tracks), as well as the carousel being built. Those I'm sure are worth money, as they are unique (I have the only copies).

slefain said:

Pete Gossett said:

In reply to slefain :

However, if you have time to kill(pun intended) you might want to look for any death pictures, as those are worth a little bit more. 

Thank goodness I haven't come across any of those. I know exactly what those are.

I did find some slides of Disney Land being built. They show the jungle ride and steam boat without water (just the tracks), as well as the carousel being built. Those I'm sure are worth money, as they are unique (I have the only copies).

I'm not entirely sure what they're worth, but I sort of want those. To the right collector, especially depending on condition, they could be worth a good bit. 

In reply to Mndsm :

I have one, but I do enjoy their somewhat morbid nature. 

Got the solution: https://archive.org/details/image
 

I'll scan the photos, tag them with what info I have, and release them into the digital wild. After that I'll see if anyone wants the physical copies.