Another photo identification problem...

Post by **SarahND** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:23 pm

Stuart's post has inspired me to bring out my own long-standing photo puzzle.

So here's some more work for all of you photo analyzers. Are these three photos all of the same person?

Some background information:
The two photos on the right have the name written on the back, and are the same person at different ages. The question is, is the young woman on the left the same person, or someone else? Her photo has nothing on the back.

There are a limited number of people who this woman can be. In fact, there are only two. Either she is the person in the other two photos, or she is her cousin (of whom there are no labeled photos to compare it with

). Everyone else in the family is accounted for, and she looks way too much like others in the family not to be related.

These two cousins were born only 9 months apart (in 1872 & 1873), so nothing can be done with analyzing dress or hair styles. In addition, they are double cousins, i.e. the mothers were sisters and the fathers brothers--- so, they could quite easily look as much alike as siblings. They both remained single until their late 30s. Because of the close relationship, we're talking minute differences here: shape of ears, eyebrows, eyes, cheekbones, hair etc.

I have my own unscientific gut-feeling about this, but will keep silent until I see what you unbiased viewers think. I'd be interested in hearing your reasons for coming to your conclusion-- even if it's just a "feeling"!

Thanks for looking!
Sarah

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-812

Gallery URL added - AndrewP

AnnieMack · Post by **AnnieMack** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:35 pm

I think the top right pic and the left one look like the same person and the bottom right the cousin - they look as though they could all be the same girl but the hair drew me to that conclusion as they didn't have the means to straighten hair the way we have these days

They couldn't be twins? Seperated to give each couple a baby?

I think I've been looking at too many genealogy things today (was at NRH this pm) and my brains are on overload!

Annie

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:40 pm

Sarah

I hadn't fully read your post before looking at the image, - my immediate reaction being that those on the right were the same person, but that on the left close but different, mainly the shape of the mouth.

David

Post by **emanday** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:08 pm

It was the lady on the left's nose that clinched it for me. Slighter sharper than the other two photos, but with such a close genetic relationship, it's really quite difficult to be sure.

Post by **paddyscar** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:43 am

Very similar, but the one on the left I FEEL, is different from the two on the right.

The ones on the right have the same fleshy portion to the lower eye, a slight dip across the width of the face there, a smaller mouth with a straighter upper lip and what seems to be a longer lobe on the ear.

Having said that, it is the LOOK in the eyes that seals the difference for me. The ones on the right have a much more open LOOK and the lady on the left is a changed person? This is not reflected in the openness of the elder lady on the right.

My penny's worth anyway.

karenc · Post by **karenc** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:41 pm

I would agree with Mary, its the nose on the one on the left that would make me think that it is a different person, whereas you can see the similarity of the two on the right.

Karen

grannysrock · Post by **grannysrock** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:08 pm

Hi Sarah

Without having reaad your post properly, I was certain that the 2 on the right were the same person, the one on the left I thought was similar in looks but different .
( as I said in reply to Leslie's post,my eyesight is terrible - so why bother replying?- cos I love looking at old photos ...... and fully intend to shove some more of my own up soon ! )

Sally

Post by **SarahND** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:16 pm

Thanks for all who answered! I was hoping y'all would agree that I have really found a photo of my unknown granny, who died at my mother's birth in 1916. Yes, I know you didn't think you were agreeing to that specifically, but the result is the same

She would be the unknown woman on the left.

Annie, they didn't straighten hair then, but they did curl it! I think it is curled for the younger picture on the right. That's one of the reasons I put in the older pic, since in all of the other photos I have seen, her hair is smooth and straight. The woman on the left obviously has hair that is naturally wavy-- in fact, it looks uncannily like mine... (I used to iron it when I was a teenager in the late 60's when straight hair was the style

)

David, I agree that the mouth is different. My daughter has the identical mouth and neck... another reason to think we have a direct link to this woman.

Mary and Karen, the nose is definitely different in my opinion also. The woman on the right has a more round end to her nose in all the photos I have seen.

And Frances yes, the clincher for me has always been that I see a completely different person looking out of the eyes.

Thanks to everyone for this! My family initially were all convinced that I had found the right photo, since she looks very much like me (or like I looked at her age in the photo

) but since then they have been wavering looking at the photos of the double cousin. I still felt we had the right person, but I wanted to asked some people who wouldn't have preconceived ideas about it.

Cheers!

Sarah

P.S. Sally's post just came in as I was writing this-- glad you agree!