Photograph

According to Anderson (2006), regarding a child's photograph, "The photograph, fine child of the age of mechanical reproduction, is only the most peremptory of a huge modern accumulation of documentary evidence (birth certificates, diaries, report cards, letters, medical records, and the like) which simultaneously records a certain apparent continuity and emphasizes its loss from memory" (p. 204). Identity comes from seeing this photo (and not remembering the childhood but knowing it is you) and narrating the biography that comes between the photo and the present you.

References:

Anderson, B. (2006). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso.