The act of photography anticipates the future by ripping the appearance of a moment out of its time, creating a tangible image for the future of what will be the past. (Walker and Moulton, 1989, p. 157)

Every photograph is a record of a moment forever lost-snapped up by the camera and mythically presented as evermore. The family album is always torn by the sorrows of loss: lost childhoods, lost friends, lost relatives, lost memories, lost objects, lost newness. (Barthes, 1981, cited in Mavor, 1997, p. 119)

Photographs are something we just take for granted; they get taken, we look at them, we hide them away, or we display them. How often, however, do we look into them, or really consider them as either ‘tangible images’ of the past or as records of lost moments. Yet, photographs can play a very important role in framing our sense of the past and shaping the course of our future. Consider, for example, the following inscription which appeared on the back of a school photograph:

To my two bestest teachers Mr. and Mrs. M. From me-20 years from now you may forget my name so-Cathy Banks

Almost three decades ago, an eighth grade student named Cathy gave a photo of herself to Mr. and Mrs. M., who were then in their first year of teaching. Mrs. M. has been in possession of this photo for over 25 years, even longer than the 20year span specified by her student who did not want to be forgotten. Not only has Mrs. M. not forgotten Cathy, she has kept up a regular correspondence and friendship with her throughout the 25 years. It was nevertheless a surprise to Mrs. M. when she happened upon this snapshot recently while going through a box of old photos. The inscription seems almost eerie now because it has been discovered so far into young Cathy’s future-the projection of a 13-year-old girl into ‘20years-from-now’, anticipating someone looking back, insightfully acknowledging the degree to which a photo remains a tangible reminder of the past.