Thank you for sharing this, Richard-- that photo seems to be pretty slim evidence to claim Earhart is in the photo (e.g., pretty much "none"), even without your alternative explanation.  For a couple of Caucasians being held by the Japanese and about to be transported to another island, there are no Japanese soldiers in sight, and even the identification of the person as a woman seems pretty shakey.

Of more interest to me is the Marshallese accounts of Earhart and Noonan crashing and surviving-- if they did not, I would love to know the origin of that story.

Cheers,

Scott S. Williams
Cultural Resources Program Manager, WSDOT
Ph: 360.570.6651



-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Richard Wright
Sent: Friday, July 7, 2017 3:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: news feed: new photo may show Emilia Earhart after crash

For my sins I was some time ago drawn into the archaeological and anthropological questions surrounding Amelia Earhart's disappearance.

In my opinion it is a nonsensical to suggest that newly published photo of Jaluit atoll shows Amelia Earhart.

I have just posted the following on aviationmystery.com.

Richard Wright

It has been assumed that the photo of 'Amelia' on Jaluit wharf shows a person looking to the right. Hence the supposed pale face, and therefore Caucasian ancestry, attributed to the person.

I offer an alternative explanation of that part of the photo.

Though highly pixellated, there is a consistency in the shade of the pixels in the area of the head that suggests an alternative explanation for the posture of the person. This explanation has implications for the Caucasian attribution.

I have increased the contrast of the original scan, and increased the brightness. Then I have annotated the result, to offer an alternative explanation.

If accepted, this explanation shows the person has hair and skin colour that is consistent with an islander ancestry.

https://app.box.com/shared/static/cmn5e5ehatg2jsrcxn8f1jfpf4grx8gs.jpg
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