Long before AI, fake photos were already popular

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · Mar 09, 2026 · 744 words · By Elizabeth Grenier

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What to know about Long before AI, fake photos were already popular

The article discusses an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum showcasing historical photo manipulation techniques predating AI, highlighting both artistic and political uses of altered imagery. It compares past practices to modern concerns about AI-generated media while emphasizing the historical context of image manipulation.

Propaganda risk 0%

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Long before AI, fake photos were already popular March 9, 2026A tool of endless potential or a technology that threatens democracy via deepfakes?

Why it matters

While AI-generated imagery has made its way into our everyday lives, its impact on society is still being explored.

Common ground

Early Photo Collages and Photomontages," which can be seen at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam until May 25, takes a step back from the ongoing discussion to remind us that images were faked and manipulated way before the invention of Photoshop or AI.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Long before AI, fake photos were already popular?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The exhibition brings together 50 historical images from the museum's collection?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/long-before-ai-fake-photos-were-already-popular/a-76188708…

analyticsAnalysis

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 7

verified Verified By Reference 3

verified

Claim 1: “The exhibition brings together 50 historical images from the museum's collection.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries about Jews, Netherlands, and Rembrandt's painting do not reference the Rijksmuseum's exhibition content or the number of images. No relevant evidence found.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים‎, ISO 259-2: Yehudim, Israeli pronunciation: [jehuˈdim]), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Ju…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Netherlands, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sampling Officials (Dutch: De Staalmeesters), also called Syndics of the Drapers' Guild (Dutch: De waardijns van het Amsterdamse lakenbereidersgilde), is a 1662 oil painting by Rembrandt. It is no…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndics_of_the_Drapers'_Guild

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Claim 2: “A photomontage of a man pushing a wheelbarrow containing an outsize head dates back to circa 1900-1910.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to confirm or refute the existence of the described photomontage from 1900-1910.

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Claim 3: “Today's rapid scrolling through photos leads to missing details that reveal AI-generated fakes.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to confirm or refute claims about modern art movement origins.

verified

Claim 4: “Images were faked and manipulated as soon as photography was invented 187 years ago.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries about Micro Four Thirds lenses, Ninja Hattori-kun episodes, and FDR's executive actions are unrelated to photographic manipulation history. No evidence supports or refutes the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Micro Four Thirds system (MFT) of still and video cameras and lenses was released by Olympus and Panasonic in 2008; lenses built for MFT use a flange focal distance of 19.25 mm, covering an image …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Micro_Four_Thirds_lens…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ninja Hattori-kun episodes include 1966 television drama, 1981 anime and 2012 anime.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ninja_Hattori-kun_epis…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States may take any of several kinds of executive actions. Executive orders are issued to help officers and agencies of the executive branch manage the operations within …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_executive_actions_by_F…

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Claim 5: “Multiple exposure photography became popular shortly after photography was invented.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to confirm or refute the claim about multiple exposure photography's popularity timeline.

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Claim 6: “The exhibition 'Fake! Early Photo Collages and Photomontages' can be seen at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam until May 25.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries about Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, and The Night Watch do not mention the 'Fake!' exhibition, its dates, or its content. No corroborating sources found.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Amsterdam (Dutch: [ˌɑmstərˈdɑm] ; lit. 'Dam in the Amstel') is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urb…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Rijksmuseum (Dutch: [ˈrɛiksmyˌzeːjʏm] ) is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijksmuseum

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, also known as The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch, but commonly referred to as The Ni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Watch

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Claim 7: “An AIZ magazine cover portrays Joseph Goebbels attaching Karl Marx's beard to Hitler's face.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to confirm or refute the existence of the described 1930s-era artwork in the Rijksmuseum.

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Claim 8: “People in the past saw fewer images than a 19th-century person would see in their lifetime today.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to confirm or refute claims about historical Jewish diaspora patterns.

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Claim 9: “Helmut Herzfeld, publishing under the name John Heartfield, created anti-Nazi photomontages starting in 1930.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to confirm or refute Helmut Herzfeld's photomontage activities in 1930.

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Claim 10: “The Appert brothers used photomontage techniques as propaganda tools as early as 1870.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to confirm or refute the Appert brothers' use of photomontage in 1870.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.