How to find old school photos

Old school photos can appear in several types of historical records. While we once relied on passed-down ephemera to document what our ancestors looked like (and indeed, how they lived), old photographs are more accessible than ever.

When hunting for a photographic trace of your relative's time in education, there are a few places you should look.

Digitised photo archives

Dedicated photographic collections are one of the richest sources of school imagery. Findmypast's Photo Collection includes images of everyday school life, from classroom scenes to sports teams and prize-giving ceremonies. While the students in these photos aren't always named, a school name or location may provide an important clue.

Regional photographic archives can also be invaluable. The Dundee & Forfarshire (Angus) Photographic Collection includes images of Scottish schools, from urban class groups to rural parish schools in the late 19th century. Even if you don’t immediately recognise a face, these images help you visualise the educational world your family knew.

When browsing photographic collections, search by school name, town, or even broad terms like 'school', 'class' or 'sports day' to widen your results.

Old newspapers

Local newspapers frequently published school photographs, particularly for sports teams, prize ceremonies, swimming galas and special events.

Within Findmypast’s extensive newspaper archive, you might find a school football team pictured after a championship win, or a class commemorating a royal celebration. Even small regional titles often included class group photos or portraits of prize winners.

You can search using a combination of:

• School name
• Town or county
• Keywords like 'school', 'prize' or 'annual gala'
• A family surname, if you’re researching a specific person

Newspapers are especially useful if your relative achieved something noteworthy - captaining a team, winning a scholarship, or participating in a public performance.

Specialist record sets

Beyond photographs themselves, other school records can guide you towards images.

The Harrow School Photographs of Pupils & Masters 1869–1925 record set includes individual portraits of pupils and staff. If you had ancestors at Harrow, you may find a formal school portrait attached to their name.

Key online school records

School admission registers, logbooks and 19th-century school registers help confirm attendance dates and school names. Once you know exactly where and when someone attended school, you can narrow your search in photo archives and newspapers.

On Findmypast, education-related record sets and regional photographic collections often work best when used together. A register entry provides the context; a photograph provides a detailed glimpse.

When looking for old school photographs, asking yourself a few important questions can significantly improve your chances of making a discovery:

• Did they play a sport? Team photographs were frequently published, especially for football, cricket, netball and swimming.
• Were they involved in any newsworthy achievements? Scholarships, awards, performances and competitions often attracted local press coverage.
• Did they attend a well-known or long-established school? Prestigious institutions were more likely to maintain formal photographic records.
• Was their name different when they were younger? Consider maiden names, middle names or initials that might appear in captions.
• What years did they attend? Narrowing your search to a specific five- to ten-year window can make browsing records and newspapers far more manageable.

Even if you don't identify a specific individual, finding a photograph of the school building or a class from the same period still enriches your understanding. It helps you picture the classrooms, uniforms and routines that shaped their everyday life.

By combining photographic archives, newspaper collections and education records, you can move beyond names and dates and begin to see childhood as it really was in years gone by.