Tracing Image Publication Date — Tracing Image Publication Date

Understanding when a photograph was first distributed to the public is critical for establishing a timeline. For copyright purposes, a photograph is considered published when copies are distributed to the public or offered to a group for further distribution or public display.

However, public display of a photograph, in and of itself, does not constitute publication. Tracking this official publication date helps researchers map how an image spread and detect any modern recontextualization.