<jats:sec><jats:title>Background:</jats:title><jats:p>Although evidence shows that reminiscence therapy relieves depression in the elderly, few studies have explored its mechanisms and it is unclear whether old public photos rather than personal photos are effective prompts.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives:</jats:title><jats:p>The aims of this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study with an event-related design were to explore whether old public photos can evoke autobiographical memories and compare brain-activation responses to photos between elderly women with depressive symptoms (DS) and normal controls (NC).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods:</jats:title><jats:p>Elderly women with DS ( n = 16) and NC ( n = 18) were recruited from urban communities in Southwest China. Participants responded with a key press to indicate which of 40 photos evoked autobiographical memories at first sight during 3.0 T scanning. Afterward, they rated photos on a 9-point Likert-type scale on the degrees of recall (DOR), arousal, and pleasure elicited and the degree to which photos felt old.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p>Mean DOR scores were 8.47 ± 0.77 and 1.37 ± 1.09 for high- and low-DOR photos, respectively. Response time was longer in DS compared to NC participants. Brain areas activated by exposure to high-DOR photos differed between groups, with reminiscence leading to decreased activation of the bilateral superior temporal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, left cingulate gyrus, right insular lobe, and bilateral cerebellum anterior lobe in DS compared to NC participants.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion:</jats:title><jats:p>Old public photos can evoke autobiographical memory. DS are associated with brain dysfunction. Early intervention for DS is recommended in the elderly.</jats:p></jats:sec>