Pictures can be identified in a variety of ways. Sometimes we are fortunate to have a complete identification on the back of the photograph and we know who made that identification. The reality is that some times we have something far less complete on the back of the photograph. Other times we have absolutely nothing at all.

There are times when it is possible to fully or partially identify people in a picture given what we do know about the photograph. If that’s the case, our identification needs to include how we came to know additional details about the people in the photograph.

The photo in the illustration is indicated to be the family of George and Anna Trautvetter. No one is specifically identified. I was able to determine who all but two people in the picture were (the two oldest daughters were close in age), based on the fact I knew who the parents were and was able to obtain years of birth from other records. My identification on the photo includes what was written on the back and how I determined who was in the picture.

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  1. Yes! A little information and some research can go a long way on a photo with little to no info on the back. I was recently given a photo by a distant cousin whose great grandma was the sister of my great grandma. She knew who her ancestor is in the photo and so we were able to determine, based on age, who my ancestor is! It was all very exciting! Now to dive deeper and figure out the other four sisters in the pic 😉

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