Connect the image to the label

Following the venue’s instructions, record an overall view and the associated label when available. Write the institution name, the displayed object number and the visit date. Make sure the label belongs to the object you photographed, particularly in a crowded case. If photography is not permitted or practical, write a short description instead. Do not treat a missing photograph as a reason to reconstruct visible details from an unrelated image found later.

Use separate spaces for different voices

Put the label’s wording in one section and your own observations in another. Preserve qualifiers such as possibly, attributed to or date uncertain. If you translate the label, keep the original text beside your translation and flag uncertain words. Write your questions separately: why is this interpreted as a container, or which detail supports the suggested period? A model’s explanation belongs in a further research note, not silently inside the institution’s description.

Choose one follow-up question

After the visit, select one object and one question rather than trying to identify every photograph at once. Look for the institution’s own collection entry using the recorded number. Note whether the online description adds information or uses different wording. Save the link and the date you consulted it. If you share your note, identify which statements came from the label and which are yours. A useful visit record can remain unfinished while still making the next reading session much more focused.

Take it with you

  • Link each object image to its own label and number.
  • Keep institutional wording separate from your interpretation.
  • Follow up one question using the collection’s own record.

Artifact ID

Artifacts and historical research

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Artifact ID is a research aid, not authentication, certified appraisal or proof of provenance or ownership. AI attributions may be wrong or incomplete. Offline access concerns saved entries as described. Feature access and any paid options depend on current in-app terms.