Are these the same people? Samuel Greenham Born 1884

[S128]

Hi there

Probably a long shot but I was wondering if these two men in these photographs are the same people. The first photograph is of my 2x Great Grandfather Samuel Greenham Born 1884.

In the wedding photo the lady stood next to the man who I think is Samuel is his wife Ellen. I think it may be him but obviously the first photo of him was taken at a young age and this one must be nearer his death in the 40's.

Thanks for any help.

[AMBLY]

Hi S128,

My opinion - easily the same man. Luckily the stance in each photo is similar, but even allowing for the later photo with head thrown back slightly and a wide smile (which widens the cheek and nose a bit), ears perhaps slightly larger with age- the similaries are clear & distinctive to me:

Eyebrow line & shape
Eye width and shape
Hair line
Brow width
Jaw line
Line of shoulder (right, when looking at photos)
Neck shape
Width ratios between each facial feature.

Perhaps the superimposed image will help? The hairline/brow and eyes  - and the neck/shoulder - pretty much become 'one', I think?

Cheers
AMBLY

[McGroger]

This is what I was about to post. I just added these opening remarks after seeing Ambly’s posting of a quite similar response.

It’s difficult to compare people’s faces over a 40 year gap, however this is my take on it:

First the differences:
The older man’s nose appears wider; but his head is tilted back slightly, he is smiling broadly, and noses do continue to grow (a little) over time. All those things make a nose look wider in photographs. (Also - hope you’re not eating - repeated nose picking over many years can widen nostrils.) Otherwise his nose is similar, especially between the eyes.
The older man’s ears look bigger. On average men’s ears grow almost half an inch in 50 years. (So do women’s but they’re usually hidden by hair.) Otherwise the ears are similar in shape.

Now the similarities:
The eyes. Obvious, I think; you can imagine the young man’s eyes crinkling in a smile in the same way as the older man.
The mouth: in both photos, the upper lip trends downwards at the corners.
The jawline: Notice how in both photos his face is just very slightly asymmetrical, with the chin more on the (his) left side of his face.
Continuing the asymmetry, notice the way he holds his head in both photos, so that much more of his right side of his neck is showing compared with his left side of his neck.

Conclusion: a definite maybe. If it’s not the same man, it should be.

Cheers, Peter.