Open Case · Seeking evidence
The Missing Adult Portrait of Harriet Antoinette Tarn
Renée Vivien’s younger sister appears in the historical record. Can an authentic photograph of her as an adult be found?
Explore this mystery ↗The historical Constellation / Open Cases
Help recover their stories.
Some histories survive in an uncatalogued album, a private letter, or a misidentified image. These are questions we have not solved. Evidence matters more than guesses.
Featured historical searches
What can we find together?
A verified discovery can change a biography, correct a relationship, or restore a woman's face to the historical record. Contributors may receive a private editorial acknowledgment, public credit with permission, and a feature in the Constellation Discovery Dispatch.
Open Case · Seeking evidence
A Second Photograph of Violet Shillito
One historical portrait is repeatedly reproduced. Did another image survive in a private album or unscanned archive?
Explore this mystery ↗Open Case · Seeking evidence
Find a Documented Portrait of Janine Lahovary
The later life of Natalie Clifford Barney has fewer readily accessible identified portraits of the people closest to her.
Explore this mystery ↗Open Case · Seeking evidence
Identify a Portrait of Kérimé Turkhan Pasha
A name appears in the sapphic literary world, but the surviving identification and visual record require care.
Explore this mystery ↗Open Case · Seeking evidence
A Historical Photograph of Diane de Clermont-Tonnerre
The family network of Élisabeth de Gramont deserves careful documentary treatment beyond the famous salon portraits.
Explore this mystery ↗Open Case · Seeking evidence
Find a Portrait of Gladys Tilden
The professional lives of women in expatriate Paris are often much better documented in papers than in searchable portraits.
Explore this mystery ↗Open Case · Seeking evidence
When Did Natalie Barney First Meet Renée Vivien?
Accounts of the introduction through Violet Shillito differ on the season and precise chronology.
Explore this mystery ↗Open Case · Seeking evidence
Which Records Identify Mimì Franchetti?
Records using Franchetti names do not yet permit every possible overlap to be settled.
Explore this mystery ↗How contributions work
From lead to discovery.
1. Send your evidence
Identify a holding archive or provide a document, with details that allow us to verify it.
2. We assess the source
Nothing enters a public biography automatically. A photographic identification and publication rights require separate checks.
3. Receive recognition
Verified findings can earn research distinctions such as Portrait Discoverer or Archive Detective. Named public credit requires your permission.
4. Share the story
Important discoveries may be celebrated in a subscriber newsletter once the evidence and attribution are approved.