Identifying an old team photo: 6 steps
The back of the photo, the details in the picture, old newspapers, people who were there, certainty and sources: how to put names to an old team photo. Informational content.
An old team photo without names is a puzzle. Often it can be solved, with patience and a few people who remember.
6 steps
- Start with the back. A date, a photographer's studio stamp or a handwritten name narrows it down at once. Scan the back too.
- Look at the details. The kit, sponsor names, the ground, the stand, cars or buildings in the background all point to a period.
- Find the match in the press. Old newspapers published line-ups and match reports; digitised newspaper archives make them searchable by date and club.
- Show it to people who were there. Former players, supporters, long-serving club staff. Write down who recognised whom.
- Mark how certain you are. Certain, probable and unknown are different; keep them apart in your notes.
- Record your sources: newspaper, date, page, and the name of the person who identified someone.
Keep the versions
As names are added, the description changes. Save each version with the date in its file name; a public timestamp records which version existed on a given day.
DAS Proof writes a file's fingerprint (SHA-256) into a public XRP Ledger transaction; the file itself never leaves your device. The timestamp shows the file existed in exactly this form no later than a given moment — it does not establish authorship or ownership. Anyone can verify it, free: dataanalyticsystem.com/proof/verify
Related: Interviewing a former athlete: 7 steps · How to preserve club history · Sport
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