Family Albums

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Preserve the Photographs. Remember the People. Carry the Stories Forward.

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A family album holds more than photographs. It preserves relationships, journeys, celebrations, working lives, and the everyday moments that connect one generation to another.

 

Through Family Albums, ASI will develop a community collection where families can preserve and, with their permission, share photographs and the stories behind them in one accessible location.

 

The program will reflect ASI’s mission to preserve Portuguese and Cape Verdean maritime and cultural heritage, including the experiences of families whose lives connect the islands, the diaspora, and the wider Atlantic world.

 

What we preserve today becomes part of what future generations can understand tomorrow.

 

Your Family. Your Story. Your Choice.

Participation is voluntary. Contributors may submit a single photograph, a small collection, or an album developed over time.

 

Families will decide which materials they wish to share publicly. Submitting a photograph for review will not, by itself, authorize ASI to publish it.

 

Before publication, ASI will confirm the agreed use of the material, how the contributor wishes to be credited, and whether restoration or colorization has been requested.

 

Contributing material does not transfer ownership to ASI. Contributors retain any rights they hold and grant ASI permission for the specific uses agreed upon.

 

More Than Names and Dates

 

Family history often survives through spoken memories: a nickname, a familiar face, a departure, a homecoming, or a story repeated around the table.

 

Albums may include:

• Family portraits and gatherings

• Weddings, holidays, and community celebrations

• Childhood, school, and neighborhood life

• Migration and settlement

• Fishing, whaling, shipping, naval service, and other working lives

• Family homes, vessels, businesses, and places of worship

• Letters, postcards, and related documents

• Recollections that explain the people and events pictured

Portuguese names, Kriolu expressions, and family nicknames can be recorded alongside formal names when known. These details help preserve the language and traditions through which families remember one another.

 

Curation—Building the Story Together

 

ASI will work with contributors to organize selected photographs into understandable collections, accompanied by captions and relevant background.

 

Where possible, each entry will identify:

• The people pictured

• The approximate date and location

• The occasion or activity

• The photographer, if known

• The contributor and source of the information

• Relevant family memories

• Any uncertainty or conflicting identification

• Whether the image has been restored or colorized

 

Not every photograph arrives with a complete history. Unknown details will be marked as unknown, and approximate dates will be identified as estimates.

 

Family recollections are valuable sources. When a detail has not been independently confirmed, it may be presented as a recollection rather than an established fact.

 

An honest gap in the record is better than an invented answer.

 

Restoration and Colorization—By Request

 

Families may choose to share their photographs in their original appearance or request digital restoration, enhancement, or colorization, subject to ASI’s available resources.

 

Restoration may improve visibility or reduce scratches, fading, and other damage. Colorization may offer another way to connect with a black-and-white photograph.

 

These processes will be guided by respect for the original image. ASI will seek to preserve faces, expressions, clothing, objects, and settings without adding, removing, or rearranging historical content. Digital tools can introduce errors, so edited images will be reviewed with the contributor before publication.

 

Original digital scans will be retained alongside edited versions within the working collection. Publicly displayed edited images will be clearly labeled.

 

Unless supported by reliable references, added colors are interpretations—not proof of the original colors. Contributors may request that photographs remain entirely unedited.

 

Guidelines for Participation

1. Submit Material You Are Authorized to Share

Please submit photographs or documents you own or have permission to reproduce and share. Possessing a physical photograph does not necessarily mean you own its copyright.

If ownership or permission is uncertain, tell ASI before publication. Credit alone does not replace permission.

 

2. Respect the People Pictured

Please consider the wishes and privacy of living individuals. Obtain their agreement where appropriate, especially for sensitive material.

Photographs centered on identifiable children should be submitted with permission from a parent or legal guardian. ASI may request additional consent or decline publication when privacy concerns remain unresolved.

 

3. Keep Sensitive Information Private

Please remove or flag home addresses, identification numbers, financial details, private correspondence, and other information that should not appear publicly.

Permission to share a photograph does not automatically authorize publication of every personal detail associated with it.

 

4. Tell Us What You Know—and What You Do Not

Provide names, dates, places, nicknames, and stories when available. Identify estimates and distinguish firsthand knowledge from information passed down by others.

Please avoid presenting speculation or potentially harmful allegations about individuals as established fact.

 

5. Choose How You Wish to Be Credited

Contributors may request an individual credit, a family credit, or anonymity. ASI will confirm the preferred credit before publication.

 

6. Approve Additional Uses Separately

Permission to display an album on the Family Albums page will not automatically include social media posts, videos, printed publications, merchandise, or other uses. ASI will seek additional permission when a proposed use falls outside the original agreement.

 

7. Help Us Make Corrections Respectfully

Families and visitors are welcome to suggest identifications or corrections through Contact Us. Please explain the source of the information. ASI will review conflicting accounts carefully and may record more than one recollection when the evidence does not resolve the difference.

 

8. Request Changes or Removal

Contributors may contact ASI to request corrections or withdrawal of material they supplied. Requests from people pictured or rights holders will also be reviewed.

 

ASI will remove approved material from the website and other channels it controls where practicable. Copies already downloaded, shared elsewhere, or distributed in print may remain beyond ASI’s control.

 

How the Program Will Begin

Family Albums will launch as a small pilot collection and grow as volunteers, resources, and experience develop.

 

To begin, families are encouraged to submit five to ten selected photographs with a short introduction describing the family and its connection to the collection.

 

The initial process will be:

1. Contact ASI with a brief description of the proposed album.

2. Submit digital copies and available background information.

3. Confirm permissions, public display choices, and any requested editing.

4. Review a draft of the album, captions, and edited images.

5. Approve publication on the ASI website.

 

Families should keep their original photographs and their own digital backups. Please do not send irreplaceable physical materials unless a separate arrangement has been agreed upon. Participation does not guarantee publication or restoration; ASI will review submissions according to mission relevance, permissions, and available capacity.

 

A Growing Community Collection

ASI is a developing organization. Curation, research, and editing will take time, and some albums may begin with incomplete information.

 

We welcome volunteers who can help identify people and places, translate captions, record oral histories, organize collections, and preserve digital files.

 

Family Albums is intended to support respectful remembrance and discovery. Contributions that harass others, expose private information, or reproduce material without authorization will not be published.

 

ACTA NON VERBA

Deeds, Not Words.

 

Preserving heritage begins with a practical act: finding a photograph, recording a name, asking a question, or writing down a memory while someone is still here to share it.

 

Your family’s photographs may help future generations understand where they came from—and the people who helped shape their lives.

 

Contact ASI to propose an album, volunteer your knowledge, or help preserve a story.

 

Continue Your Exploration

• Contact Us — Propose a family album or request a correction.

• History Is Not Black and White — Explore ASI’s photographic restoration and colorization series.

• Maritime Heritage — Discover the connections between family life and the sea.

• E-Library — Explore related historical and cultural resources.

• Volunteering — Help with research, translation, curation, or preservation.

• Privacy Policy — Review how ASI handles submitted personal information.

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