Innovation and Exploration
Our Projects
Harnessing technology and the knowledge of the community to connect the past with the present, our projects bring history to life.
Civil War Photo Sleuth
Allows users to add, find, and identify photos of soldiers, sailors, and civilians from the American Civil War era.
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50,000 images: The largest digitized archive of Civil War-era soldier and civilian portraits.
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Supports historians, archivists, genealogists, collectors, dealers, and other researchers.
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AI-based facial recognition and advanced user interfaces.
Civil War Twin
Find your Civil War lookalike!
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Upload your photo and find a match.
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Share the results anywhere using #MyCivilWarTwin.
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A partnership with Virginia Tech, the American Battlefield Trust, and Military Images magazine.
Researchers, collectors and genealogists
Got an old photo with no name? Photo Sleuth helps identify soldiers and civilians by matching faces, uniforms, and historical records. Collectors can verify provenance, genealogists can connect portraits to family histories, and researchers get access to a growing database—bringing the past to life, one photo at a time.
Auction houses and dealers in photography
Identified photos sell better—that’s where Photo Sleuth comes in. It helps dealers authenticate images, avoid misattributions, and boost value by linking portraits to real historical figures. Whether for auctions or private sales, verified provenance makes historic photography more desirable, ensuring accuracy and credibility in a competitive market.
Museum curators, librarians, and archivists
Unidentified photos in your collection? Photo Sleuth helps curators and archivists put names to faces, improving cataloging and historical interpretation. Crowdsourcing invites experts and the public to weigh in, enriching exhibits and online archives. By linking images to a digital database, institutions make history more accessible and engaging.
NEWS AND INFORMATION
Photo Sleuth Happenings
Beyond the confines of traditional academia, our organization is deeply rooted in community development.
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A Guide to Exploring Photo Sleuthing and Generative AI
How to use generative AI in Civil War photo sleuthing: reverse image search, facial recognition, backdrop matching, better prompts, bias checks, and cautions.
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Library of Congress Recommends Civil War Photo Sleuth
The Library of Congress now recommends Civil War Photo Sleuth as a top resource for identifying historical images. Help uncover identities, one photo at a time.
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An Interview With Civil War Photo Sleuth Founder Kurt Luther About Its Origins and Future
Civil War Photo Sleuth (CWPS), a website that allows users to add, find, and identify photos of soldiers, sailors, and civilians from the American Civil War era, supports historians, archivists, genealogists, collectors, dealers, and other researchers. CWPS includes 50,000 images, the largest digitized archive of Civil War-era soldier and civilian portraits, and uses AI-based facial
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I just read about this cool database of Civil War photographs … they are using facial recognition AI to try to identify photographs from the American Civil War and Civil War era (not just soldiers!).”
yonicwave
r/Genealogy on Reddit
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