Historic Metadata

In an exhibition at Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York, you can see historic images that accompanied front-page headlines through history.

An image by photographer George Tames called “The Loneliest Job” shows President John F. Kennedy in his White House office in 1961 (above). On the back of the gelatin silver print is detailed provenance with notations in ink, and stamps with typed captions on labels affixed to the print (see below).

The provenance for these iconic images is akin to today’s metadata. Imagine someone you photographed became historically significant and ask yourself these questions.

• Is your copyright in the metadata?

• Is the subject or event name in the file name or metadata?

• Could you find the image in your archive and retrieve it?

The exhibit, “Extra! Extra!: News Photographs from 1908-1975,” featuring prints from the Dan Solomon and Howard Greenberg collection, is open through Nov. 14, 2024.

Joan Sherwood is a senior editor.