Yesterday’s Images: “Original” or “New and Improved”? post attracted more views than normal. However, there was one particular oddity in the third image, the one processed by Gemini using Andrew Redfern’s prompt, that troubled me.
I asked Gemini to “Please produce an image with a numbered outline for each person in the restored photograph.” The initial attempt produced 15 outlines, and a table with columns Number, Row & Position, Attire & Identifying Details, and Pose / Expression for each. But the outlines were misaligned, so I prompted “There is a problem of alignment of the outlines with the photo. They appear to be shifted to the left. Please review and realign.” Here’s the result. 
Person 9, dressed in a uniform and wearing a tie, seemed out of place. I asked Gemini “Please provide a detailed description of person 9.” Here’s the full response.
Appearance in the Restored Photograph
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Posture & Position: Stands upright in a composed, formal posture at the center of the group, facing the camera squarely with his arms resting at his sides behind the adjacent men.
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Headwear: Wears a white-crowned naval officer’s peaked service cap featuring a dark cap band, a glossy black visor with a chin strap, and an ornate metallic officer’s crest centered above the band.
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Facial Features & Expression: Appears as a clean-shaven man in his thirties or early forties with fair skin, arched eyebrows, and a calm, measured expression with a slight closed-lip smile, gazing directly toward the lens.
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Attire: Depicted wearing a knee-length, dark double-breasted naval overcoat with wide lapels, metallic buttons arranged in two vertical columns, and a light collared shirt with a dark necktie knotted at the throat, paired with dark trousers.
Comparison with the Original 1940 Source Photograph
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Torso & Clothing Detail: In the original faded photograph, the V-shaped tonal area across his chest—which the restoration reconstructed as the lapels and shirt opening of a heavy double-breasted overcoat—actually appears to be a bare, sun-tanned chest (or a deeply open sleeveless vest) bordered by heavy shadow on his arms and dark trousers/shorts below the waist, matching the hot tropical setting where his companions are shirtless or in shorts.
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Headwear & Shoulder Detail: In the original print, his white cap sits slightly lower on his forehead and appears to have a light-colored cloth or tropical neck flap hanging down over his left shoulder (viewer’s right), which was smoothed out in the restored version.
My conclusion is that AI, specifically Gemini, can do a lot of heavy lifting in image restoration, but still needs supervision.
It’s not called that; it could well be. On Saturday, after having completed the reason for my visit to the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library, I wandered into the Ottawa Room on the 3rd floor. It’s cram-packed with publications documenting an amazing range of Ottawa history. Many years ago there was a staff member assigned full-time to the room; now it’s the subject of benign neglect. As I was leaving a bust near the room’s entrance caught my eye.
The magazine has reached 250 issues, and Sarah Williams has been editor from the start. Congratulations Sarah.
The Society of Genealogists is offerring a series of talks, workshops, discussions and visits (for thise who can get there) that explores death, burial and remembrance from many different angles.