How to read a historical photograph
Separate observation from inference, check the original record, and build a careful interpretation of an archival photograph.
From the reading desk
A field guide to the archive
A few methods for looking closely, checking records and keeping uncertainty visible. Your private Notebook stays at your own research desk.
Which date belongs to an archival image?
Distinguish the date of an exposure, a depicted event, a print and a catalog record without inventing a precise historical date.
How to trace an archival image to its source
Keep a usable trail from an image to its item record, creator credit and rights statement when researching historical pictures.