History
Find documentary images for a photobooth story
Begin with a collection record and an image-specific rights statement.
A documentary picture should help establish a real object, person or place. The useful search result leads back to a collection record, not merely to a repost whose caption and permissions have become detached.
Start from a named collection
The Library of Congress offers both collection records and a Free to Use and Reuse area. The latter is a starting point for finding material, not evidence that every photograph on the whole site has the same rights status. Check the identified item and its associated information.
Evidence: Rights guidance · Rights guidance
Make a research record
Our image card includes maker, title, date or range, institution, item reference, source URL, rights statement and intended use. Save the record separately from the downloaded image. If an attribution is required, keep the exact credited name rather than replacing it with the search engine that found the file.
Use a truthful caption
Say what the photograph actually documents. A portrait of an inventor is not a photograph of their first machine; a booth image from 2023 does not prove present-day operation. Keep generated atmosphere labelled as illustration so readers can distinguish the scene’s mood from the evidence for the story.
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- Library of Congress — Free to Use and ReuseRights guidance
- Library of Congress — understanding copyrightRights guidance