The Photo Sleuth Foundation

Civil War Photo Sleuth (CWPS), a website that allows users to add, find, and identify photos of soldiers, sailors, and civilians from the American Civil War era, supports historians, archivists, genealogists, collectors, dealers, and other researchers. CWPS includes 50,000 images, the largest digitized archive of Civil War-era soldier and civilian portraits, and uses AI-based facial recognition and advanced user interfaces. Founder Kurt Luther, an associate professor of computer science and (by courtesy) history at Virginia Tech, talks about his journey as a collector, a data scientist, and the driving force behind CWPS.

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Transcript

Ron: This is Ron Coddington from Military Images magazine, and I’m delighted to be joined by my friend Kurt Luther to talk about his collecting history, his work with Civil War Photo Sleuth, and the future. Kurt, thank you so much for being here this afternoon.

Kurt: Thanks for having me.

Ron: Great. I want to start with a detail about you that I’ve always appreciated, which is that you started out as a collector and someone who was deeply interested in the Civil War. Talk a little about how you became interested and got started.

Kurt: Sure thing. I am a bit of a Civil War collector. I grew up in a family of Civil War and history collectors and appreciators. I spent many childhood hours at antique shops and flea markets, and our home was full of interesting Civil War collectibles—books, artifacts, and all kinds of interesting stuff. That was my world as a kid. As I grew older, I realized that I could actually have my own Civil War collection. What was a little different about me is that I gravitated toward Civil War photographs—a category my family didn’t have too much of. I just felt drawn to the imagery of people from that era, their incredible stories, learning about the names behind the faces, and ultimately building my own collection of images while loving the process of researching those individuals.

Ron: One of my favorite stories is your family connection—how there’s a photograph connected to it all. I’d love to hear you tell that again.

Kurt: Absolutely. One of the reasons my family had an interest in the Civil War is that we have some Civil War ancestors. Three of them fought with the Union Army in Pennsylvania regiments, and I grew up learning about their adventures. We researched all we could about them through military records, but we didn’t have any images—we couldn’t see them or know what they looked like. I got really lucky during the 150th-anniversary commemorations of the Civil War. In Pittsburgh, where I grew up and where my Civil War ancestors lived, there was an exhibit at the Heinz History Center. I noticed a really cool photo album of Civil War soldiers. The label said that the company in the album was one that my ancestor had fought in. Out of thousands of possibilities, that single regiment appeared there. I asked the museum staff if they could have the owner, Ken Turner, look inside to see if my ancestor’s photo was in there. And sure enough, inside the album was a photograph of my Civil War ancestor, Corporal Oliver Croxton in uniform. I was looking into the eyes of my great-great-great grand uncle.

Ron: How did you feel when you saw that for the first time?

Kurt: It felt amazing. Here was someone I had thought about my whole life, trying to learn as much as I could about him. And once you start studying Civil War portraits, you learn that the odds of finding one specific photo of a soldier—especially a lower-ranked one—are really low. So having that opportunity, seeing his face, and getting a much clearer picture of who he was… it was really powerful.

Ron: Flash forward a bit—you’re going to college and data starts to become a thing. Tell me about how you got there and how history continues to be with you.

Kurt: Yeah, absolutely. I went off to college and graduate school studying computer science, with a focus on human-computer interaction—thinking about how people use technology and how to make it easier for them. Around the same time, I was developing a deeper interest in Civil War photography and in researching Civil War photos, trying to identify unknown soldiers and sailors. I saw an opportunity to combine my love for Civil War history with my passion for technology. The research process of identifying unknown photos benefits greatly from technology—you can integrate and centralize reference images from digital archives, leverage artificial intelligence to sort through potential matches, and use crowdsourcing to tap into the expertise of others who know about uniforms, weapons, or specific military units. It really excited me.

Ron: You’re surrounded by like-minded kindred spirits.

Kurt: Absolutely. One of my favorite things about Civil War photos and photo research is that it has a long history. I’ve written about how the earliest Civil War photo sleuthing began while the war was still happening. The interest has never really gone away—even as decades and centuries have passed, today we have a huge and passionate community of collectors, researchers, historians, and archivists. Everyone may have different motivations or expertise, but we’re all driven by that same passion for learning about these individuals and uncovering the stories behind the faces.

Ron: You’re the first generation in a long line to live in a digital age and connect these images in a powerful way. I remember over ten years ago in this room, you described your idea that eventually became Civil War Photo Sleuth. I was overwhelmed—you were taking me into the future, showing how the internet, data, and technology could capture aspects of the community, research, and networking that have always been part of this field. How did you actually make that happen?

Kurt: That’s a good way of putting it. I remember that day very well—it was an exciting time. Even ten years ago, we were starting to see revolutionary changes in technology that opened up new research opportunities. Advancements in AI, cloud computing, and the digitization of photos and reference materials meant that more people had access to the tools needed for this kind of work. I felt like there was an exciting convergence of technology, enthusiasm, and interest within the Civil War history and photography communities. I took that opportunity to steer my research in a direction that would create a new platform for collaborative work. My former PhD student, Vikram Mohanty, played a huge role in moving us from a basic version of facial recognition software—which compared overall images—to a more advanced system that compared specific facial landmarks and features. It was challenging, but he made it happen.

Ron: The human side of it is important too. You built a website and platform, but it’s also an online community. You had to attract people, get them to contribute their expertise, and even go to collectible shows and online groups to get the word out. It wasn’t just “build it and they will come.”

Kurt: Exactly. We had to demonstrate the value of what we were doing and show people that there was something for them on the platform. It was a lot of work, but it was essential to build that community.

Ron: When I use Civil War Photo Sleuth, I upload an image, it detects the face, I fill out details about the uniform and insignia, and then it gives me results that seem almost magical. The interface guides you through the process, almost like an education on how to study Civil War photographs. But behind that is all the hard work your team has put into both the technology and the community side.

Kurt: Yes, exactly. I teach classes on human-computer interaction, and one key concept is usability and user experience. We designed the site so that when you add a photograph, you don’t have to be an expert to get meaningful answers. It provides suggestions on describing details—like whether a coat is dark or light—and once that information is up, other users can come in and help further the investigation. It’s a cycle where everyone learns and contributes to a larger database.

Ron: I really appreciate that it’s for everyone. I’m thinking not just of those interested in Civil War photography, but also family genealogists, museum professionals, auction houses—different people with different aims coming together to solve the same puzzle.

Kurt: Exactly. I’ve also written columns for Military Images magazine on topics like concurrent timelines and confirmation bias—giving us all a language to describe what we see. It grounds us, gives us confidence, and reminds us that we’re all on this journey together. Civil War Photo Sleuth is really for everyone, and every piece of information helps improve the overall database.

Ron: I know you have big plans beyond Civil War Photo Sleuth. Tell me a little about those plans and what led you to think more expansively about this project.

Kurt: Absolutely. The project began as a university research project—Vikram Mohanty’s PhD dissertation, along with work by other students. We built the platform, launched it, and tens of thousands of users joined, contributing tens of thousands of images. Now that Vikram has graduated, we want the project to not only continue but to grow. In the past couple of years, we’ve come together and decided to create a nonprofit organization called the Photo Sleuth Foundation. Its mission is to keep Civil War Photo Sleuth going, expand it, and potentially grow beyond the Civil War era. We’re thinking about identifying every unknown person in historical photos and even unknown photographers, connecting historical research across different eras.

Ron: That’s a huge vision. Folks should look forward to further announcements and developments as the project unfolds.

Kurt: Yes, absolutely. We’ve got lots of exciting news in store—new projects and ideas we can’t wait to share.

Ron: Before we close, I want to say how much I appreciate the work you’ve done to elevate research into Civil War portrait photography. It’s made a lasting change for all of us in this field. Thank you, Kurt, for everything you’ve done and for the exciting future ahead.

Kurt: Thank you, Ron. I really appreciate your support, and I look forward to rallying more people to join us on this journey.

Ron: Thanks again for your time, Kurt.

Kurt: Thank you, Ron.