Jay, I don't understand what you mean by "provenance", in this context.
I'll agree with the Wiki definition: I mean simply the documented origin, for example being able to say, "That's AS11-39-5903, and I got my copy from the Lunar and Planetary Institute's online digital collection," or, "It's a photograph I bought from the Smithsonian and scanned on my home computer." In the art world it means a documented sequence of ownership that establishes the current owner's legal right to an art object (to discourage theft). In the legal world it means who has had custody of important evidence since it was collected.
In MR's case, his provenance for his photos stops at frame-grab from a television show. The producers don't remember where the pictures came from, and they can't be found in any of the ordinary archives. Thus the meager provenance does not support a case for authenticity.
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