We’d love to hear what you remember

Reader Keepsakes

One object. One memory.

The sewing box you still open. A kitchen tool with a familiar worn handle. A record sleeve with somebody’s handwriting. We’re looking for the ordinary things people kept, and the stories that stayed with them.

Start with one photo and a sentence.

1. Show the whole object. A photograph you take on your phone is fine. Use window light and keep the object in focus; no special setup is needed.
2. Tell us the part a photograph cannot. Who used it? What moment does it bring back? An approximate decade is helpful if you know it; “I’m not sure” is fine too.
3. Add a detail if you like. A label, repaired seam or handwritten note can help tell the story. You can also send a short, steady video you record yourself. Keep background music off and don’t operate an old appliance just to demonstrate it.

Email your keepsake →

If your email app does not open, write to [email protected] with the subject Reader Keepsakes. One photo is enough to begin. Ask us first if a video is too large to attach.

Prefer to start on Facebook?

You can add a photo you took and a sentence in the comments under one of our Reader Keepsakes invitations on Back When Daily on Facebook. Comments are public. Email is also welcome if you prefer to send your memory privately.

Posting a comment lets other readers see it there; it does not give us permission to reuse your photograph or story in a separate feature. We will ask for your approval of the exact use first.

You choose what we share.

Send only photographs or recordings you made and have permission to share. Keep private addresses, documents and other personal details out of the frame. If another person appears, we will need their permission too.

We’ll read your story, check any historical details we can, and send you the exact proposed image or clip, wording, name credit and publishing locations to approve. Choose first name, initials or anonymous credit. Your recollection will remain your recollection; uncertain dates will not become certain facts.

Nothing is published automatically. You keep ownership of your material. Sending a memory does not sign you up for our newsletter, and not every submission will become a feature. We will ask separately before using a contribution in advertising.