Family Photographs Research Articles

Douala–Bruyères/Vosges Mountains: Where Family Photographs Can Lead

Abstract: The study of two photographs from the 1950s, in the possession of a Cameroonian family, reveals little-noticed transnational flows of people from the geopolitical and national peripheries of the world, linked by the (post-)colonial relations and geopolitical alliances of their states. Bruyères, a small town in eastern France where these photographs were taken, turns out to be not only an unexpected and distant crossroads of French colonial politics, but also the site of decisive battles in World War II and, indirectly related, of US racial policies towards Japanese migrants in the US.

Modeling the process of formation of leadership qualities of primary school students by means of interactive technologies.

The article constructs a model of the formation of leadership qualities of primary school students by means of interactive technologies, the constituent elements of which are: the goal (creating conditions for the formation and self-education of leadership qualities of primary school students by means of interactive technologies); content (a cluster of leadership qualities that provide an individual with dominance in peer relationships); stages of formation (motivational, informational and cognitive, valuable, praxeological, reflective); pedagogical conditions (motivation of students for leadership; ensuring the readiness of the teaching staff of the primary school for the formation of leadership qualities of students; development of student self-government); forms and methods (verbal, visual, practical, interactive: the author's training exercise "A wise choice between strengthening food security and promoting alternative sources of energy?", role-playing games "Lace", "Big family photo", "Three facts about yourself", "Pam "Antagonist for feelings", "Joint drawing", "Convey in one word", "Mafia" and others); diagnostic toolkit (questionnaire to determine the formation of leadership qualities); result (increasing the level of formation of leadership qualities of primary school students).It is emphasized that the motivational stage of the model involves the formation of needs for high achievements, prestige and recognition, self-realization. It is indicated that the informational and cognitive stage of the model is based on the transfer of knowledge about leadership (situational theory, theory of value exchange, theory of servant-leadership), power, methods of psychological influence on the social environment, methods of self-diagnosis and self-education of leadership qualities to a primary school student. It is emphasized that the value stage of the model ensures a positive attitude of elementary school students to leadership as a universal and national value. Therefore, the formation of behavioral components of students' leadership qualities is expected through the use of interactive technologies. The final stage of the model is the reflective and evaluation component, which allows the student to reach the level of self-education and overcome the distance between the "I-real" and "I-ideal".

Images of Italian Jewish Emancipation: An Analysis of Family Photographs after the Opening of the Roman Ghetto in 1870

Abstract: This study analyzes late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century photographs in a family album belonging to Roman Jews. The album was compiled at a crucial moment for Italy and for Italian Jews: after the wake of Italy's national unification. For many Roman Jews the risorgimento and Italian unification in 1870 resulted in liberation from crushing poverty, disease, and abuses under the papal state. These years coincided with the invention and development of photography. This article explores how Jewish emancipation and liberation from ghetto life, alongside the rise of photography, influenced the construction of images and photographic portraits of Roman Jews through the analysis of one family album.

Unveiling facial kinship: The BioKinVis dataset for facial kinship verification and genetic association studies.

Facial image-based kinship verification represents a burgeoning frontier within the realms of computer vision and biomedicine. Recent genome-wide association studies have underscored the heritability of human facial morphology, revealing its predictability based on genetic information. These revelations form a robust foundation for advancing facial image-based kinship verification. Despite strides in computer vision, there remains a discernible gap between the biomedical and computer vision domains. Notably, the absence of family photo datasets established through biological paternity testing methods poses a significant challenge. This study addresses this gap by introducing the biological kinship visualization dataset, encompassing 5773 individuals from 2412 families with biologically confirmed kinship. Our analysis delves into the distribution and influencing factors of facial similarity among parent-child pairs, probing the potential association between forensic short tandem repeat polymorphisms and facial similarity. Additionally, we have developed a machine learning model for facial image-based kinship verification, achieving an accuracy of 0.80 in the dataset. To facilitate further exploration, we have established an online tool and database, accessible at http://120.55.161.230:88/.

Photos as a Cultural Code of the Odesa Region

In Ukraine, the transition to visualization is observed in the expansion of the range, change of functions, simplification of production and demonstration of the traditional photo image. Personal and family photographs play an important role in cultural memory, and working with photographs offers a particularly productive way to understand social and cultural aspects of memory. In the article proposed, I research the variability of the functions of photography in polyethnic and multicultural region of Southern Ukraine, taking as the main example the city of Odesa and the Odesa region. I seek to reproduce and describe the historical and cultural dynamics of the development of photographic practices in Odesa from art to craft, and eventually to everyday practice from the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. I aim to reveal the ethno-cultural expressiveness of photographic practices among the multi-ethnic population of Odesa, to point out general and specific features, to investigate local differences of ethnographic groups, structures and everyday practices, features of material and spiritual culture, socio-cultural norms. During 2012-2019 independently or taking part in complex ethnographic expeditions of I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University, I have conducted more than 150 general, 53 focused interviews and 68 semi-formalized interviews in 51 towns and villages of Odesa region, including Odesa, Balta, Bilyaivka, Podils’k, Chornomors’k and Izmail.

Family photos and architectural representation: Using photo-collage sketchbook to understand behaviour patterns in family apartment buildings

This article presents a three-step process of collecting, deconstructing and reconstructing family photos in ethnographic research investigating the sociocultural aspects of behaviour patterns in family apartment buildings. The first author conducted the study for her Ph.D. thesis in architectural design, supervised by the second and third authors. As an architect, the first author created a photo collage sketchbook, combining various representational techniques of her profession with family photographs. While observing the family apartment building and trying to understand the “gecekondu” where the participants lived before the family apartment building, the researcher realised that the interviews were insufficient, and this problem forced the use of a photo collage sketchbook. To synthesise ethnographic knowledge, research started with obtaining family photos. After extracting and grouping, the deconstruction process began. Deconstructed layers are then reconstructed by using various architectural representation techniques and text. This photo collage sketchbook has helped us understand various aspects of the family apartment buildings related to architecture and culture. While doing this, the sketchbook prepared with visual contents combined with short notes represents the data collecting, organising, analysing, interpretation, knowledge-making, and presentation stages. In working with a photo collage sketchbook, obtaining family photographs and overlapping the photographs and interviews’ narratives appear challenging. Therefore, collective interviews have been a critical move to compare and verify the memories recalled by the participants. While interviewing, it is vital to show the photos to every participant from a particular age group because they contribute differently to the photo components because of the place experience. So, this study is not about a set of instructions or tools but experiences about the process or approach to constructing ethnographic knowledge.

The photo album – a memoir of family life

This study explores the meanings currently ascribed to family photographs and albums and aspects of photograph collecting and album making behaviour. Current ways of storing photographs are presented as well as highlighting perceptions of the durability over time of these new forms of storage. The study is exploratory in nature, based on empirical research through the conduct of ten (structured) interviews conducted between August and September 2021. The results of the study show the multitude of meanings attributed to family photo albums, namely: reminiscence of moments in family life, reconstruction of family biography, communication between generations, knowledge of ancestors (great-grandparents, grandparents, parents) in different stages of their lives, establishing a link with the past and building family identity, family history and, last but not least, emotional, nostalgic or joyful meanings, aspects that strengthen the family. At the same time, the study highlights new forms of photo preservation - the shift from print to digital photography, including digital albums. The research also reveals perceptions of the durability of digital albums over time by recognising both positive and negative aspects. The article contributes to the development of research on family photographs and albums in Romanian society, highlighting the importance of the family album and considering it as an object of sociological research.

Family Photography as Object and Practice in Independent Comics in Indonesia

One small element that is rarely put in the comics’ scene setting is photographic imagery, commonly a portrait of a person or a family photograph. It is assumed that once a family photograph is presented in a comic, it definitely has a particular function. This study will examine how the family photograph as an object and practice is depicted and present the signification of the story meaning in independent comics. The research object is a drawing that represents a family photograph in a panel, or series of panels – consecutive or non-consecutive -in the independent comic "Pupus Putus Sekolah" (2022) and “Phagia” (2016) as the case study. This research uses a comic studies approach based on qualitative methods. The first analysis process is to pay attention to the presence of family photographic images in comic stories. In the following analysis stage, family photographs are treated as an object defined by social practices based on a semiological/discursive approach, especially the Doing Family Photography approach introduced by Gillian Rose. The study revealed that photographic images in independent comics were shown using the same artistic drawing style as the characters and objects in the story. The inclusion of family photographs in comics aims to present a portrayal of the 'evidence,' 'truth,' and 'indexicality' as the genuine authenticity of the photographed moments in photography while also serving as a symbolic picture in storytelling. The readers' comprehension of the indexical nature of the family photograph is inherently linked to the manner in which the photographic imagery is portrayed and organized with other elements in the sequential composition of comics.Foto Keluarga sebagai Objek dan Praktik dalam Komik Independen di Indonesia Abstrak Salah satu elemen kecil yang jarang dimasukkan ke dalam adegan komik adalah citra fotografi, biasanya potret seseorang atau foto keluarga. Diasumsikan jika foto keluarga disajikan dalam komik, pasti memiliki fungsi tertentu. Penelitian ini akan mengkaji bagaimana foto keluarga sebagai objek dan praktik digambarkan dan menyajikan signifikasi makna cerita dalam komik independen. Objek penelitian adalah gambar yang merepresentasikan foto keluarga dalam sebuah panel, atau rangkaian panel—berurutan atau tidak berurutan—dalam komik independen "Pupus Putus Sekolah" (2022) dan "Phagia" (2016) sebagai studi kasus. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan studi komik berdasarkan metode kualitatif. Tahap analisis pertama adalah memperhatikan citra fotografi keluarga dalam cerita komik. Pada tahap analisis berikutnya, foto keluarga diperlakukan sebagai objek yang didefinisikan oleh praktik sosial, berdasarkan pendekatan semiologis/diskursif, terutama pendekatan Doing Family Photography yang diperkenalkan oleh Gillian Rose. Studi ini mengungkapkan bahwa gambar fotografi dalam komik independen ditampilkan menggunakan gaya gambar yang sama dengan karakter dan objek dalam cerita. Pencantuman foto keluarga dalam komik bertujuan untuk menyajikan penggambaran 'bukti', 'kebenaran', dan 'indeksikal' sebagai keaslian asli dari momen yang difoto dalam fotografi sekaligus berfungsi sebagai gambaran simbolis dalam bercerita. Pemahaman pembaca tentang sifat indeksikal foto keluarga secara inheren terkait dengan cara di mana citra fotografi digambarkan dan diatur dengan unsur-unsur lain dalam komposisi komik yang berurutan.

Family photograph of past lives and future portents

Capturing an important day in the life of a community, a photograph from the author’s family collection records a group that has gathered to welcome the Italian aviator Francesco De Pinedo to Innisfail in 1925. De Pinedo’s record-breaking 55,000-kilometre flight from Rome to Tokyo via Australia and back was an extraordinary feat, and a demonstration of Italian technological advancement and participation in the drive towards global connectivity of those times. He had been feted by the public and dignitaries, including the Prime Minister, at each stage of his journey around Australia. But the photograph reveals much more. De Pinedo’s visit was particularly welcome where Italians were denigrated and viewed with suspicion. At the time, there was unrest about the impact of ‘foreign’ – specifically Italian – immigration in North Queensland, to provide labour for its sugar industry. The men in the photograph were among the leaders of the North Queensland Italian communities, and three of them had been invited as witnesses before the Ferry Royal Commission just months earlier. The Commission was set up to investigate attitudes towards the increasing numbers of Italians, and those views were to result in widespread internment of North Queensland Italians during World War II. All but two of the Italian leaders photographed were interned. This article situates the personal histories and contributions of these individuals within their historical circumstances.

Picturing Jewish Genealogy: Using Nineteenth-Century Portrait Albums as a Genealogical Source

This essay argues that the earliest genre of Jewish family photograph albums, the nineteenth-century portrait-card albums created by the bourgeoisie, may become a starting point for genealogical discoveries. Some display the visual genealogies of extended families, and many reveal the genealogical memories of family migration. The case studies presented here showcase the process through which an album became a starting point for the construction or expansion of a family’s genealogy. They draw on the radial sources commonly employed by family genealogists, including birth and burial records, censuses, and other archival materials. The discussion looks at the role of family albums in the passing down of family history to future generations.

Haunted Images: Unsettling History and Traumatic Memory in Tintin Wulia's Artmaking

Taking as a point of departure the practice of Chinese-Indonesian Australian artist Tintin Wulia (1972–), the article investigates possibilities for social critique offered by the photographic image as it is co-opted by artists working in post-Reformasi Indonesia. Building on scholarship that aspires toward a more historically informed understanding of contemporary Southeast Asian art, the article connects Wulia's reworkings of photographs to a longer history of image making. This focus on the entanglement of the contemporary and the historical is sustained throughout an analysis of three works by Wulia—Ketok (2002), Invasion (2012), and Great Wallpaper (2012). In highlighting the ways in which Wulia's artmaking responds to, mirrors, and troubles broader structures of seeing, documentation, and representation that have shaped national identity, the article suggests that the reanimation and reproduction of family and identification photographs unsettle forgotten and suppressed histories of trauma unique to the experience of the Chinese ethnic minority in Indonesia.

Overcoming obstacles in rare disease clinical trials

Overcoming obstacles in rare disease clinical trials With an urgent need to develop new treatments for people with rare diseases, the University of Birmingham’s Professor Timothy Barrett explains how a new consortium will provide a step change in the delivery of rare disease clinical trials. Amina was diagnosed with diabetes when she was four years old. Her parents were told she had type 1 diabetes, the commonest form in childhood, and learnt to inject her with insulin several times a day. They had many sleepless nights checking her blood glucose in case it went too low. Unfortunately, aged ten years, she began to lose her vision, and family photos showed her on holiday at the seaside using a white stick. She was diagnosed with Wolfram syndrome, a rare genetic disease. This is a progressive degenerative disorder without treatment, and people die prematurely from complications.

Exploring the Opportunities of AR for Enriching Storytelling with Family Photos between Grandparents and Grandchildren

Storytelling with family photos, as an important mode of reminiscence-based activities, can be instrumental in promoting intergenerational communication between grandparents and grandchildren by strengthening generation bonds and shared family values. Motivated by challenges that existing technology approaches encountered for improving intergenerational storytelling (e.g., the need to hold the tablet, the potential view detachment from the physical world in Virtual Reality (VR)), we sought to find new ways of using Augmented Reality (AR) to support intergenerational storytelling, which offers new capabilities (e.g., 3D models, new interactivity) to enhance the expression for the storyteller. We conducted a two-part exploratory study, where pairs of grandparents and grandchildren 1) participated in an in-person storytelling activity with a semi-structured interview 2) and then a participatory design session with AR technology probes that we designed to inspire their exploration. Our findings revealed insights into the possible ways of intergenerational storytelling, the feasibility and usages of AR in facilitating it, and the key design implications for leveraging AR in intergenerational storytelling.

Collateral Effects of the Tell Me MORE! Intervention on the Joint Reminiscing of Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The purpose of this study was to analyze secondary data from three mother-child dyads in order to evaluate how family photographs and training in naturalistic strategies affected the way mothers reminisce with their children with autism spectrum disorders. A secondary analysis (i.e., collateral effects) of a single-case dataset was conducted to assess the impact of family photographs and training in naturalistic strategies on the selected variables. The introduction of family photographs showed positive effects on the mother's reminiscing style and the child's memory responses across all dyads. Furthermore, additional improvements were observed in these areas after training and coaching in the target strategies. This study demonstrates the positive impact of using family photographs and naturalistic based strategies in joint-reminiscing conversations for mothers and children with autism spectrum disorder. The intervention improved the mothers reminiscing style and child's memory responses, highlighting the potential value of parent-implemented interventions, especially those based on naturalistic strategies, in supporting individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers.

The effects of psychosocial interventions using generic photos on social interaction, mood and quality of life of persons with dementia: a systematic review

BackgroundAlthough family photos are often used in the psychosocial care for people with dementia, little is known about the use and effectiveness of generic photos. This systematic literature review explored psychosocial interventions using generic photos for people with dementia, and the effects they have on their social interaction and/or mood and/or quality of life. In addition, it was investigated whether these interventions made use of technology in its implementation.MethodsA systematic search on the following databases was performed: PubMed, Embase, APA PsychInfo, Cinahl, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Central. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were based on the PICO model (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome), and quality assessment was undertaken using the Weight of Evidence Framework. Narrative synthesis was undertaken to summarize study characteristics- settings and designs, type of psychosocial interventions identified, type of photos and technology used, outcome measures, and results.ResultsA total of 2,035 results were found, however after title, abstract and full-text screening, a total of 8 studies were included. The most common psychosocial intervention using generic photos was found to be reminiscence therapy, followed by art-viewing activities. In studies that used technology, it was reported that viewing digitalized photos were either similar or better to conventional printed photos. Despite photos being generic, it was found that generic photos could still hold personal significance to the person with dementia. Some positive and significant effects were found for the outcomes social interaction, mood and quality of life, though no study evaluated all three outcomes. Two studies were rated as having high overall quality, 4 were rated as fair, and 2 studies had a low quality assessment rating.ConclusionStudies found using generic photos were limited, showing varying outcomes and methodological quality. Firm conclusions on the effectiveness of interventions using generic photos are not possible. However, the use of generic photos in psychosocial interventions is a promising area for future research. Researchers should consider studies with better methodological quality and larger samples; and qualitative studies where the intention is to get better insight into successful implementation and impact mechanisms of such psychosocial interventions.Trial registrationn/a.

Gutted: Three Poems on Irregular Stomachs

Poetry already exists that broaches taboo or extreme topics for women such as abortion, rape or domestic abuse (Petit, 2001, 2010; Moore, 2015, 2021). Chronic illness and/or disability are being explored too (Sluman-Brenchi, 2015, 2021; Atkin, 2021), with cancer being arguably the most common illness addressed (Darling, 2003). But whilst the extremes of surgery, hospitals and blood are now shown, bodily functions of the guts are rarely depicted. Matthew Seigel does end his collection Blood Work, sitting on a toilet – but he is passing blood. Poo and vomit still appear taboo. My PhD supervisor once asked why I didn’t write about my childhood. I said I’d had a happy childhood and did not feel compelled to explore it. Yet, I found primary school difficult because other children sometimes found me…disgusting. For the longest time I had no proper name for my affliction. Heartburn or reflux are milder versions; regurgitation or vomiting come closer. Poets such as Kathleen Jamie (2000) have said that a poet needs to give themselves “permission” to approach difficult subjects, whilst Eavan Boland has spoken of needing to de-centre herself and write from a position of defeat, from the margins rather than from authority (2006). Regurgitation is not readily poetic, and I had to overcome my own embarrassment/defeat and find a ‘way in’ that worked. I found that locating an additional subject axis (the Tin Woodman story, the science of vultures, a family photo album) illuminated my physical experiences in ways that made the poems feel permissible rather than gratuitous.

Art therapy postcards:

This research article draws on a master’s thesis. Inherited perpetrator trauma may result from a family legacy of past familial collaboration with the South African apartheid regime. This historical narrative emerges from a familial relationship with the artist Irmin Henkel, the author’s step-grandfather. Henkel was known as the official portrait painter of the 1960s apartheid regime Cabinet. A heuristic self-study and arts-based approach were used to create a five-step protocol that art therapists can use to treat inherited perpetrator trauma. The approach used postcards as an art therapy tool. I repurposed family photographs into postcards to engage with the past. I also wrote reflective narratives. Inherited perpetrator trauma theories were used. A dialectical thinking approach was used that considers more than one perspective. Three main themes emerged: guilt, denial, and toxic shame. The creation of postcards from historical family narratives successfully uncovered the themes. The protocol has not been tested beyond the self-study. However, the use of museum spaces and the theory of object relations is considered in this article. Making toxic shame conscious and confronting and transforming this trauma can prevent a repeat of past historical transgressions and encourage healthier relationships to self, family, community and a broader South African society.

Our Photographs, Old and New

Private and family photographs are our most personal images taken at significant events of our lives. We used to put these photos into albums or just kept them in boxes without specific orders, and we only opened up these personal archives when we wanted to share our memories and stories with family members or close friends. These common habits regarding how we take and share private photos have changed a lot due to the digital turn, the increasing number of digital cameras, and the broadening usage of the Internet and social media platforms. Archives are often places of safeguarding memories, places that make us remember and places of preservation. However, in recent years, the questions related to them and the archiving methods are mostly focused on how digitization has transformed them. The varying ways and effects of technical image usage caused by the technological boom are some of the most characteristic and defining elements of our times. In my paper titled Our Photographs, Old and New, I examine — through a contemporary artwork by Gergely Barcza — how private photography practices and private photo archives have changed in the last decades.

Community-Based Photographic Archives and “Potential” Histories of the Cold War in Eastern Europe

The article proposes to look at the recently emerged online photographic archives in Eastern Europe as a form of digital commons. The bulk of the collected photographs in these archives are vernacular, family or amateur photographs, the sort which obstinately resists being included in the histories of photography. The online archives under scrutiny here, Fortepan in Hungary and Karta/CAS in Poland, disregard the established divisions between the photographic genres, allowing the reconfiguring of the hierarchies and values perpetuated by other archives and museum collections. Most significantly, by being accessible and relying on the contributions of its users, the online archives also forge a new public. The aim of this article is to investigate the affordances of these archives in constructing new photographic histories of the Cold War. Looking at selected photographs showing collective manifestations and street protests, the article will demonstrate the realignment of the private and the public in these archives.

Truth that Matters

Truth that Matters