  We give predictions for the partial wave amplitudes of pion photoproduction
near threshold by means of dispersion relations at fixed t. The free parameters
of this approach are determined by a fit to experimental data in the energy
range 160 MeV $\le E_{\gamma} \le$ 420 MeV. The observables near threshold are
found to be rather sensitive to the amplitudes in the resonance region, in
particular to the $\Delta$ (1232) and $N^*$ (1440). We obtain a good agreement
with the existing threshold data for both charged and neutral pion production.
Our predictions also agree well with the results of chiral perturbation theory,
except for neutral pion production off the neutron.
