The Project #LastSeen.

Photographs require context to be utilized as historical sources. Therefore, all images published in the project are thoroughly analyzed by our research team. Information about the production, preservation and transmission of the photographs is gathered, and the content of the images is analyzed in connection with historical knowledge about the events. Each photo is viewed holistically as a document, which is why reverse sides and context pages (e.g., from photo albums) are also included in the analysis and presented in the Image Atlas, if available. If it is possible to identify individuals, they are featured in the Image Atlas with biographies and, ideally, personalized sources.

The detailed cataloguing of the image content is the foundation of our filtering system, which allows the photographs to be sorted and searched. Spatial localization of images is central to the image atlas: all photos are georeferenced and can be viewed precisely in their corresponding locations on the map. In this way, the Image Atlas serves as both a digital edition and an interactive exhibition, making it suitable for educational as well as research purposes.

In collaboration with the digital agency &why and with the involvement of high school students, we developed a digital educational resource on the topic of deportations from the German Reich during the first phase of the #LastSeen project. This tool is a browser-based educational game—a Serious Game—where users independently reconstruct and acquire knowledge about historical events through a series of deportation photographs. A key focus is on enhancing students' skills in analyzing and interpreting photographs. Currently, there are two versions of the game, with further improvements and developments planned.