IMAGE-READING NOTES
Yenra | Updated October 7, 2026
Guide: https://yenra.com/haiti-poverty-pictures/

Purpose: Separate visible observation, catalog information and interpretation
when reading a historical photograph. Keep this note with the source link.

IDENTIFY THE RECORD
Catalog title:
Creator / collection / repository:
Record identifier:
Original medium:
Date or date range, including qualifiers:
Place, including qualifiers:
Source URL:
Access date:
Rights advisory / intended reuse check:

LOOK BEFORE INTERPRETING
List three features visible in the complete image:
1.
2.
3.
Visible crop, border, damage or other feature affecting interpretation:

CHECK THE CATALOG
Who supplied the title and date?
Which details are uncertain, inferred or unverified?
What is documented about the picture's purpose?

INTERPRET WITH OTHER EVIDENCE
Proposed historical claim:
What the image contributes:
Other dated records needed to support the claim:
What cannot be established from the image alone:

WRITE A CAPTION
Sentence 1: Identification with attribution and date qualification.
Sentence 2: A visible detail.
Put broader interpretation in a separate paragraph with its own evidence.

WORKED EXAMPLE
Record: Haiti, Port-au-Prince, Market Square.
Library of Congress, National Photo Company Collection.
Identifier: LC-DIG-npcc-20196.
Catalog date: between 1909 and 1920, derived from negatives in the same range.
Catalog qualification: title from unverified company data on the negative
or sleeve. Preserve that qualification when discussing the identification.
Visible features: a dense gathering, stalls and low buildings, with hills beyond.
Limits: the image does not establish household incomes or a national poverty rate.
Source: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016821757/

COMPARING TWO IMAGES
Check place, dates, season, viewpoint, purpose and selection before interpreting
visual differences as evidence of historical change.