Mystery woman

If I could travel back in time, among the many things I would do would be to track down my ancestors and force them to write their names on the back of things.

"Sure," I'd say. "You know that little cherub in that photo is your daughter, but will your great-great grandchildren know that in a hundred years?"

Then they'd probably look at me like I'm a total creep and kick me out of their home, but I would have made my point.

One of the most frustrating things about family history is unidentified photos, and I have a lot of them. It's really the reason this blog began, as you've seen by the 50+ images posted here. Through some collaboration and careful comparison I've discovered the true identity of several people, while some I fear will forever remain a mystery.

Today, I add a new photo to the mix. Two, actually. The woman on the left is identified. The woman on the right remains a mystery. I have come to think they could possibly be the same person, but I'm simply not confident of that. One person I asked said "It could be" while another said "definitely not".

So now I turn it over to you, nameless Internet observers: Are these two women one in the same?

There are several obstacles faced in making this identification. First of all is the fact the photo on the left, the identified photo, is of poor quality. It's a scan of a photocopy of a photocopy out of a book. I have no idea where the original image is, if it still exists, and if it is of decent quality.

The photo on the right is better quality, but no one knows who she is (yet).

Another barrier is everything in the photos. They're at different angles, with different hairstyles and different clothing. One has her neck exposed, while another is completely covered up.

I need objective opinions. I think they could be the same, but I also want them to be the same. My hope may be clouding my judgment.

Please tell me what you think and always, always label your photos.