Jewish family memory
Provenance: meaning and family-history use
Provenance is the record of where an item came from and how it reached the archive. It helps a family understand and evaluate a photograph, document, or story.
By Pinkas · Updated September 28, 2026
How to record it in a family archive
Record the original holder, contributor, date received, known earlier custody, and any editing or transcription. Keep unknown history explicit.
A practical example
'Scanned from Rivka's album in 2026; caption supplied by David' tells a future reader more than an unexplained filename and a confident identification.
Keep the original context
A glossary definition helps orient a reader; it cannot resolve an individual document, identity, or observance question. Save the original source and note who supplied any interpretation. Ask a qualified reader or the relevant community authority when the context is unclear.