Reimagining a family's history through its old snapshots

Old photos, new stories

Lauren Hansen's avatar
By
Published
Calm, from the series The Names We Bear
(Image credit: (Yodith Dammlash)Dammlash, 30, now a photographer and archivist herself, took inspiration from her family's oral histories and the rich archive of negatives and slides to create her ongoing p)

(Image credit: (Yodith Dammlash)Some of Dammlash's images evoke an aching nostalgia. In "Dream" (above), she tells the story of her uncle, who was the first in his family to leave Ethiopia and the lonelines)

(Image credit: (Yodith Dammlash)Other composites are lighthearted and playful. In "Brothers" (below), her uncles swap jackets in the two superimposed portraits. "It tickles me how they essentially use the j)

(Image credit: (Yodith Dammlash))

(Image credit: (Yodith Dammlash)To see more from The Names We Bear or any of Yodith Dammlash's work, check out her website, or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.)

Lauren Hansen
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.