Posted By:
Scott ForrestI think most of the people commenting here are "educated" to some degree on this subject, just not "experts".
There are some on the board who deal with vintage photographs, and are photography buffs (actually have manual 35mm cameras with a variety of lenses and have been using them for 30+ years) - thus, know the effects that various lenses, angles, focus, etc., have on the final image. So it's not that difficult to make an educated guess based on various points on "Joe"'s face. The important thing is that ALL points must match, not just a bunch of them. You can't say "well, the nose, eyes, chin, all match up, and it really, really looks like him, so forget about the ears".
Also, it's imperative that the library research be done - I know Rhys, like him and trust him, but I think this is one of the first things a judge in his hypothetical case would ask. "So what did you find in the Zanesville newspaper microfiche?"
Finally, you have a Joe Jackson expert (blackbetsy website rep) commenting on this thread - his opinion is the same as many of the "uneducated" people you refer to.
But it's likely that Zanesville will turn up nothing, in which case it will be impossible for anyone to know definitely whether or not this is Joe Jackson. But we can argue and vote all day, and that is still fun.