Photo ID Project continues at Clausen

Hundreds people in World War II-era photographs were identified in 2013 as part of the Clausen Museum’s Photo ID Project. 

Last year two slideshow events were held to in hopes of identifying hundreds the people in photographs that were all taken in 1942 to 1944. They are mostly headshots and portraits taken for ID cards that were required for anyone working along the waterfront after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Photographer Mary C. Allen shot the ID photos of everyone in the fishing industry or traveling by boat. Allen died in 1945 and the negatives were eventually donated to the museum.

There are still hundreds of photos that need to be identified. "It's important that we do this now, because the people who can identifies those in the photographs are in their 80s, or older," said Sue McCullum, Museum Director.

The museum recently received a grant for $6,000 to continue the project in 2014. Copies of the images will be scanned and then sent to museums in Wrangell and Kake for help in identifying the people in the photos.

The grant will be used for scanners and other equipment for the project. McCullum is also looking for volunteers to help scan the images. Or if anyone who would like to look at the images already in binders at the museum for identification, they are welcome to call the museum for a time to do that.