Another great piece around the potential of AI and your friend, Grok, to add context and insight into photos.
I loved the info about the fun photos from the 1930s — it brought to mind a couple family photos I have which were (now) obviously taken in jest. I’ll have to see what Grok has to say about them!
After careful thought.... It is odd that this is the only photograph my grandmother wrote no notations on the back. I think she knew who those people were but found it distasteful in some way. From inspection of this photo compared with others, I think it could be her sister Bertha and brother William.
I love these photos. I've got a photo of a large family picnic with one man inexplicably holding a shotgun/rifle as though ready to use it. Most likely staged for humor as well.
David, my family is from Perry/Washington Counties - 1850s to present - Knapps, Rehmus, Ellermeier, Nehrkorn, and other as well as Schuchert in Randolph County. This wagon is identical to one that is still at the Rehmus family farm in DuBois - I have a picture of my mother in it about 1930. The man is dressed similar to how my grandfather would have been dressed on most days.
I can see the shoe in the center of the wagon but even enlarging the photo I can't tell the style. The woman is dressed as a woman would have if going to town or to Sunday service. All the pictures I have of my grandfather he always wore work boots as it was not practical for farmers to own more than two pair of shoes and both needed to be serviceable. I'm glad you have these pictures -
I also inherited all my grandparents pictures and I have some real treasures; my grandmother was good about writing names on the backs so even if I had a few that weren't identified I could look at others and figure out who they were.
I am enjoying your articles and wanted to say thank you. Keep up the good work.
The key information is found by super enlarging and looking at every single item in the photo and asking the question, why is this here. A. I. will help more if you narrow the query to very specific small things. A general query of “analyze this photo” will give disappointing and often inaccurate results. To enlarge you will need a high quality digital image. If the photo is on paper, a good quality bed scanner is needed. I use an Epson V600 which is very powerful for the money.
In viewing the comments and rethinking a few things: I realize that the comic strip Lil' Abner came out around 1934. Here we have a photo likely taken a few years before the comic strip itself. There are always antecedents for this sort of cultural phenomenon. This "cultural soup" rarely makes it into the official telling of history. As creative genealogy and history writers, this is what we can contribute.
Another great piece around the potential of AI and your friend, Grok, to add context and insight into photos.
I loved the info about the fun photos from the 1930s — it brought to mind a couple family photos I have which were (now) obviously taken in jest. I’ll have to see what Grok has to say about them!
After careful thought.... It is odd that this is the only photograph my grandmother wrote no notations on the back. I think she knew who those people were but found it distasteful in some way. From inspection of this photo compared with others, I think it could be her sister Bertha and brother William.
I love these photos. I've got a photo of a large family picnic with one man inexplicably holding a shotgun/rifle as though ready to use it. Most likely staged for humor as well.
The couple appear to be sitting on a folded quilt or blanket - its visible between the man's legs
David, my family is from Perry/Washington Counties - 1850s to present - Knapps, Rehmus, Ellermeier, Nehrkorn, and other as well as Schuchert in Randolph County. This wagon is identical to one that is still at the Rehmus family farm in DuBois - I have a picture of my mother in it about 1930. The man is dressed similar to how my grandfather would have been dressed on most days.
I can see the shoe in the center of the wagon but even enlarging the photo I can't tell the style. The woman is dressed as a woman would have if going to town or to Sunday service. All the pictures I have of my grandfather he always wore work boots as it was not practical for farmers to own more than two pair of shoes and both needed to be serviceable. I'm glad you have these pictures -
I also inherited all my grandparents pictures and I have some real treasures; my grandmother was good about writing names on the backs so even if I had a few that weren't identified I could look at others and figure out who they were.
I am enjoying your articles and wanted to say thank you. Keep up the good work.
Another fascinating analysis! I want to try this with some of my more bewildering family photos.
The key information is found by super enlarging and looking at every single item in the photo and asking the question, why is this here. A. I. will help more if you narrow the query to very specific small things. A general query of “analyze this photo” will give disappointing and often inaccurate results. To enlarge you will need a high quality digital image. If the photo is on paper, a good quality bed scanner is needed. I use an Epson V600 which is very powerful for the money.
Thanks for this. I need something for teeny photos. Some of them are so teeny it may be hard to do.
Tiny may be an advantage. Makes it more likely it was a contact print from negative. That's next best thing to having the negative.
In viewing the comments and rethinking a few things: I realize that the comic strip Lil' Abner came out around 1934. Here we have a photo likely taken a few years before the comic strip itself. There are always antecedents for this sort of cultural phenomenon. This "cultural soup" rarely makes it into the official telling of history. As creative genealogy and history writers, this is what we can contribute.
This also was surprising to me but now I realize I have one other humorous photo.
If you look close to the man's left foot you will see he is barefoot. No shoe there.
Yes, he took his shoe off for the photo. His left shoe is laying on the wagon bed in center.