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Comment by ztgasdf | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't say a resolution from 300x244[0] to 3023x2456[1] is "slightly better." All things considered, it's pretty standard to use thumbnails in an article, but it definitely would be nice if they made the thumbnails directly link to the original resolution image.

[0] - https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/files/2021/11/48-300x244....

[1] - https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/files/2021/11/48.jpg

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Wait... You were given that 300x244 version before mucking about? I was given 1024x832[2] using latest Chrome for Android 13. Your point remains, but to a far lesser degree, in my case.

[2] https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/files/2021/11/48-1024x832...

Interesting how around his right ear and along the top of his head it looks like his picture was cut out at some point.

I don't think that's cut & paste, I think it's dodge & burn. It's something you do while printing a negative that emphasizes the subject, in this case the man, and de-emphasizes the background. I was a news photographer in the 1970s and we did this all the time.

This is a fascinating process I’d never heard of before. Thank you for sharing. If there’s any good sources for descriptions of the photo processes like this you’re aware of, I’d be hugely interested as well (maybe write a book :)

Check out Ansel Adams’ series of books on photography, particularly “The Print”

I think Technology Connections on YouTube has a recent series on photo development process that mentions this.

I'd recommend "The practical photographer" by Ernst A. Weber

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of books about photo techniques, it was extremely common back in the days

Looks more like digital artefacts from a bad scan

Very nice! You can clearly see something like "Sesostris Temple" on the background award thing and maybe "Honorary Big Brother?" Honorary Elk Member"?

That may be an angle for tracking it down, the man seems to be behind "his desk" which would mean the award applies to him.

https://www.sesostrisshrine.org/ looks like Nebraska area? Perhaps someone at that group might have some idea who he is.

Just finding out who made the scary tie-pin might be enough to identify this person!

The caption in the blog says this:

We’ve been all across the country and back trying to ID this man at his desk. Yes, that’s a Shriner’s certificate on the wall behind him. It was issued from the Sesostris Shrine located in Lincoln, NE. And his stationary says “Memo to Recorders.” The folks at the Lincoln Shrine have been very helpful to us be we still have not yet been able to ID this man.

Trying to decode the letter on the desk... The resolution is such that it's all guesswork, but it's clearly a "Memo to Records" or Recorders[0] which I think of as something for a "permanent record". Gov't records, medical records, etc.

And possibly the image of the person on the letterhead is the signer. So, his company? Gov't Position? Law/Medical Practice? I'm bad at this.

[0] https://imgur.com/a/YBFmPTL

Looks like "Honorary Life Member" if my squinting is working.

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