Photo Tampering Throughout History
Photography lost its innocence many years ago. In as early as the
1860s, photographs were already being manipulated, only a few decades
after Niepce created the first photograph in 1814. With the advent of
high-resolution digital cameras, powerful personal computers and
sophisticated photo-editing software, the manipulation of digital
images is becoming more common. Here, I have collected some examples
of tampering throughout History.
To help contend with the implications of this tampering, we have
developed a series of tools for detecting
traces of tampering in digital images (contact me at Ma'at Consulting for more
information about our services).
circa 1860: This nearly iconic portrait of U.S. President
Abraham Lincoln is a composite of Lincoln's head and the Southern
politician John Calhoun's body. Putting
the date of this image into context, note that the first permanent
photographic image was created in 1826 and the Eastman Dry Plate
Company (later to become Eastman Kodak) was created in 1881.
circa 1865: In this photo by famed photographer Mathew Brady,
General Sherman is seen posing with his Generals. General Francis
P. Blair (far right) was added to the original
photograph.