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A Closer Look: Beware of Photos Bearing False Captions

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When working with historical photo collections, it always pays to ask yourself: Does the title match the content?  The original photographers sometimes mixed up dates and places, or misspelled words and omitted key info — just like you or I might.

Glancing at this pair of photographs, they seem to show the same scene. But the titles etched into the original glass negatives tell conflicting stories.

(Spoiler alert: Don’t click on the photos to see their catalog records yet or you’ll get the answer early!)

Original caption: Suffragettes, Union Sq., May 2, 1914. Photo by Bain News Service, 1914. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.15753
Union Square 5/1/14
Original caption: Union Sq., 5/1/14. Photo by Bain News Service, 1914. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.16486