ARTICLES - FACE AND EAR IDENTIFICATION

by Joelle Steele

Here are some of my articles about the use of facial features and ears to authenticate the identities of people in photographs. But if you want even more in-depth information, you might want to check out this Bibliography of 100+ books and articles on the subject. I have also written quite a few books on face and ear identification: Face to Face, The External Ear, Quick Guide to Comparing Faces in Photographs, and Identification Dilemma. And, I also provide face and ear analysis and comparison services.

FACE & EAR ANALYSIS

Comparing Faces in Photos: The First & Most Important Step: Learning to align the pupils and size the irises in photos must be done in order to determine if you have a possible match and should measure the faces further.

How Important Are Scars & Moles?: Not much, if at all. Here's why.

Avoid Overlays When Comparing Faces: See this example of how to compare similar faces correctly.

Preparing Photos for Analysis: Most people, including many experts, do not know how to correctly prepare photos before they compare the faces. This simple step-by-step process ensures the accuracy of face comparisons.

Ears Don't Lie: Examining the ears in photos is the first step in determining whether two faces are a match.

The Power of Observation: Use your eyes to learn the differences between faces in photographs.

Biometrics Software: For use in authenticating identities of people in photographs, this kind of software falls short.

CASE HISTORIES - ABRAHAM LINCOLN

"The Lost Lincoln” Photograph: It's Not Abraham Lincoln: A TV show called "Undiscovered: The Lost Lincoln" attempts to prove that an old ambrotype is of a recently deceased Abraham Lincoln, and fails to do so.

Are These Photographs of Abraham Lincoln?: They look alike to the untrained eye, but are they the same person? Learning to examine facial features can help you determine who's who. This article examines known photographs of Abraham Lincoln and compares them to images purported to be of Lincoln.

A Lincoln Photo Compared to a Collector's Photo: A photo of a man purported to be Abraham Lincoln was authenticated by someone who didn't know how to compare faces at all. Here's the analysis done correctly.

A Lincoln Case Study: Comparing faces in photos to faces in paintings can be challenging. A miniature portrait purported to be of Abraham Lincoln is compared to two known photographs of Lincoln.

CASE HISTORIES - VINCENT VAN GOGH

Is This A Photograph of Vincent Van Gogh?: A cabinet card purchased in Massachusetts in 1990 is believed by its owner to be that of Vincent Van Gogh. This article compares and analyzes the image to see if it could be that of the elusive artist

More Photographs of Vincent Van Gogh?: Two group photos are purported to include the image of Vincent Van Gogh. This article compares and analyzes the images to see if they do.

A Young van Gogh Mystery: When family resemblances are strong, it can be difficult to authenticate an identity as one brother or the other.

CASE HISTORIES - GRAND DUCHESS ANASTASIA ROMANOV

Grand Duchess Anastasia and Imposter Anna Anderson: DNA proved what facial features experts already knew.

CASE HISTORIES - JESSE & FRANK JAMES

Are These Photographs of Frank and Jesse James?: Several collectors believe they have photographs of the outlaw James brothers. This article compares and analyzes their images to see if they have the real deal.

CASE HISTORIES - ADOLF HITLER

Are These Photos of Adolf Hitler?: Did Hitler really die in the bunker? Did he have doubles?

CASE HISTORIES - BILLY THE KID

Are These Photos of Billy the Kid?: Looking at a couple photos believed to be of Billy the Kid.

CASE HISTORIES - SAM BASS

Are These Photos of the Outlaw Sam Bass?: Eyewitness descriptions versus photographs.

CASE HISTORIES - JOHN DILLINGER

Are These Photographs of John Dillinger: An old controversy says he wasn't really killed by Melvin Purvis near the Biograph Theater all those years ago. So who's body was that in the morgue?

CASE HISTORIES - BLACK DAHLIA - ELIZABETH SHORT

Is This a Photo of Elizabeth Short?: A 1947 unsolved brutal murder and a possible connection to the murderer.

CASE HISTORIES - MISCELLANEOUS

Who's Who in Your Family Photos: Is it your great-grandfather or his brother? Learn how to use facial features and ears to identify family members who resemble each other.

Facial Features Comparison of Identical Twins: Identical and conjoined twins are never truly identical. If you can tell the difference between them, you're on your way to comparing and identifying faces of people in photographs.

MISCELLANEOUS

The Myth of Provenance: Before you get excited about the provenance of a photo, remember that the identity of the face in that photo is what is important.

Selecting Face and Ear Experts: A comparison of how four different kinds of experts analyze two faces of suspects in a crime.

Mentors Led The Way: In my early days, I needed input about the best ways to make or interpret my analyses of handwriting and faces/ears. So, I turned to experts for their help, and these four were more than happy to oblige.

Why I Don't Analyze Some Faces: These are some of the wanna-be famous faces that cross my desk far too often.

Is That Photo Worth $1 Million or $100-Facial Features Determine The Value of Historic Photos: Provenance is fine, but the real value of an old photographic portrait lies in establishing the identity of the person in the photo.

How to Check a Photo ID: This article explains what to look for when you examine a photo ID, and how to use facial features to verify identity.

Dysmorphology-Diagnosing Genetic Disease Based On Asymmetric and Abnormal Facial Features: Certain facial features and combinations of traits can signal rare genetic diseases.

Is This A Photo Of My Real Father?: Facial features analysis may not be the best way to answer this tricky and commonly-asked question.

Is This a Photograph of Tammy?: Tammy did jail time before her attorney contacted Joelle Steele to examine photographs purported to be her.