Search the catalogue clues too
Record any caption, accession number or institution name visible beside the image. Search those terms independently of the picture. Historical images may exist as scans with different borders, contrast and damage, so a text trail can succeed when a visual search does not.
Confirm the specific item
- Open the archive's own record rather than a repost.
- Compare distinguishing details and the full frame.
- Read the rights statement attached to that item.
- Save the stable catalogue link and identifier.
For example, two postcards may depict the same building from nearly the same viewpoint while coming from different publishers. A visual resemblance alone does not establish that their dates or rights information are interchangeable.
Do not infer permission from availability
An old-looking image is not automatically free to reuse. An archive may also distinguish the underlying work from a particular digital reproduction. When publication rights matter, use the institution's item-specific guidance or seek clarification. Your search worksheet should keep “possible visual match” separate from “confirmed catalogue record”.
Continue with tool selection worksheet.