A collection page shows a polished front, a worn back and a close view of a label. Three images can tell a richer story than one, but they do not necessarily represent three objects. Before adding entries to your research list, identify what the gallery actually contains.
Start with the record, then identify each view
Note the collection’s object or accession number and the gallery captions. Look for labels such as front, reverse, detail, component or installation. Do not assume that a missing caption means a separate object, and do not assume that every thumbnail belongs to the same object without checking its link.
For a practice exercise, imagine a domestic radio shown from the front and rear. The speaker grille and rear service label are different surfaces of one item. Your notes should preserve both observations under the object’s record rather than manufacture a second radio to match the second photograph.
Describe what each photograph contributes
Make a small view map: image one shows the front controls; image two shows the rear panel; image three enlarges a printed label. Add the image identifier if the collection supplies one. This lets you return to the evidence behind a particular observation.
A detail photograph may be magnified or cropped. Its apparent size on your screen does not establish the dimensions of the feature. Use the documented measurements and any scale information provided, keeping the view description separate from the size record.
Leave unresolved joins visible
If a photograph shows a detached part and the catalogue does not explain the relationship, write down that uncertainty. Similar colour, material or wear can prompt a question, but it cannot settle the association on its own.
Our discussion of records containing more than one physical piece approaches the issue from the other direction. Here the practical goal is to count views and objects separately. A research sheet can then say “one catalogued object, three available views” while retaining enough detail to revise that statement if the collection provides new information.