Women students at the University of Birmingham were first given dedicated accommodation at premises on the Hagley Road in 1904. A permanent hall of residence, University House, now home to the Birmingham Business School, was opened in 1908. The features of the building and presence of the clock tower Old Joe in the background date this photograph to after 1908.
Image from the Cadbury Research Library Flickr Album History of the University of Birmingham; Highlights from the University Archives used with permission.
You can identify, or at least estimate, the age of a photograph by looking at the type of process used to make the image, and by reading clues within the image or written on the back.
Metal or glass was used in very early processes like Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes and tintypes. Daguerreotypes are one of the first photographic processes invented in 1839 and were common until the 1860s. They were made on a silver-plated copper support and have a distinct, highly reflective mirror-like surface.
Ambrotypes and tintypes. Tintypes were introduced in the 1850s. Ambrotypes were produced on glass plates with a black cloth or enamel backing and were cheaper and quicker than Daguerreotypes. Tintypes, also known as ferrotypes or melainotypes were made on a thin metal sheet and were common up until 1920s.
It can be difficult to tell Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes and even tintypes apart especially as they were often framed.
Cartes de Visite were small photos mounted on cardboard and were popular in Europe between the mid-1850s to the 1890s
The size and shape of the photograph, the size of the border if there is one and the way the photograph is mounted might be clues.
For example, depending on the kind of photograph as relatives, friends, colleagues, local historians. Sometimes the answer might not be accurate and could even be downright misleading, but may still be of interest.
The name of the sitter, location, studio or photographer might be written on the front or on the back. Take great care if you remove a photograph from an album: Do not touch the surface, pull or tear, and make sure you put it back as soon as you have finished looking after it. It may be possible to find out about the photographer of studio where the photograph was made.
A street scene may have been taken before or after a particular building or feature was erected or knocked down. You might be able to date cars, bicycles, shop fronts, adverts.
Young women will most likely be wearing be most up to date fashions. Men can sometimes be dated more easily if they are wearing uniforms and medals.
The following websites all give examples of photographs from different periods. Try to look at a wide range examples of photographs because the more you see the more familiar you will become at identifying the different types of photographs e.g. Daguerreotype and this in turn will help you estimate the age of your chosen image.