History Main / SecretSocietyGroupPicture

* In the first ComicBook/{{Grandville}}, Inspector Lebrock finds an old photo that contains the (then) future French Prime Minister, his main CorruptCorporateExecutive supporter, his (then) future ministers of military and secret police and TheGadgeteer whose death Lebrock was investigating. It is one of the main pieces of evidence that ties the case together. In this instance, the photo was from a hunting party where a group photo would be a logical thing to happen. It just happened to contain all main players of the conspiracy.

* In Hellboy The Professor and the army personnel all take a photo with the title character even though he is later denied to exist.

* In "Film/Hellboy" The Professor and the army personnel all take a photo with the title character even though he is later denied to exist.

* The film of ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' loves this trope. During the opening credits alone we see a sepia toned photo of the original 1940 era Minutemen, the photograph taken at the first Silk Spectre's leaving meal and a picture of the new generation of Watchmen standing in front of an American flag.

* The film of ''Main/{{Watchmen}}'' loves this trope. During the opening credits alone we see a sepia toned photo of the original 1940 era Minutemen, the photograph taken at the first Silk Spectre's leaving meal and a picture of the new generation of Watchmen standing in front of an American flag.

* The film of ''Main/{{Watchmen}}'' loves this trope. During the opening credits alone we see A sepia toned photo of the original 1940 era Minutemen, the photograph taken at the first Silk Spectre's leaving meal and a picture of the new generation of Watchmen standing in front of an American flag.

Of course! You get everyone in one generalized location and throw a party of some sort. Maybe the heroes have some laughter and drinks to celebrate a victory, or the villains get to glower a each other.

* One clue that leads Series/{{Dexter}} to the BigBad and his gang of rapists/serial-killers in season 5 is an old childhood photo showing all of them together, even though some of them denied to know each other. Kind of justified as only someone who knew them anyway could identify everyone as children.

* ''VideoGame/AceAttorney'' has a few group pictures, where only one is used for this, the picture in Gant's office.

* In the animated series of ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' an episode focused on the founding members of MIB. The photo is both this and a of the founding itself, since it shows them meeting for the first time ''and'' experiencing FirstContact. Tt's used as a reference for Jay, who is on the trail of someone who is using time travel to kill the founders before they can get together.

* In ''Film/TheFactsInTheCaseOfMisterHollow'' an OccultDetective and his eponymous source correctly presume Hollow's {{Spooky Photograph|s}} depicts a MysteryCult operating in Ontario, but the atypically rustic environs, the jocularity of some of the figures, and several odd details heavily hint not only at its membership, but also its typical practices and methods of worship, including HumanSacrifice.

* One appeared in episode 14 of TigerAndBunny, showing Barnaby's parents along with several other scientists (including the MadScientist who comes to [[ChekhovsGunman play an important role in the last few episodes of the series]]) and Barnaby himself as a child.

* ''LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'': The League that comes together at the beginning of the series doesn't do this (that we see), but their headquarters has a group portrait of an earlier League.

* In the film ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', there was one as well. The children find it while looking through Aunt Josephine's album.

* This becomes the huge reveal of the movie ''TheVillage''.
* In ''AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', the expedition team pose for a photograph in front of their spoils. The next scene reveals that the whole thing will be covered up. There is also an earlier photo of the team that found the [[BookOfShadows Shepherd's Journal]].
* Used in ''TheGhostWriter'' together with EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether to help the Ghost connect the dots.

* In ''LemonySnicketTheUnauthorizedAutobiography'', members of the V.F.D. pose in a picture during the Second Annual Code-Breaking Picnic.

* Throughout ''TheXFiles'', Mulder found one or two photos of TheSyndicate, which also featured his father, motivating his quest for the Truth. This is partly justified by the fact that the group that became the Syndicate existed as a relatively benign government agency well before it turned evil, and all their photos come from that time.

* The 1974 Dharma Initiative group photo in ''{{Lost}}''.
* One clue that leads {{Dexter}} to the BigBad and his gang of rapists/serial-killers in season 5 is an old childhood photo showing all of them together, even though some of them denied to know each other. Kind of justified as only someone who knew them anyway could identify everyone as children.

* ''AceAttorney'' has a few group pictures, where only one is used for this, the picture in Gant's office.

* The animated series of ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' had one, in an episode focused on the founding members of MIB. The photo is used as reference for Jay, who is on the trail of someone who is using time travel to kill the founders before they can get together.
** It's also a photo of the founding itself, since it shows them meeting for the first time ''and'' experiencing FirstContact.

* When {{Batman}} is investigating the [[ComicBook/NightOfTheOwls Court of Owls]], he finds several hidden lairs, all with photos taken of Court members with their [[LegacyCharacter latest]] [[TheDragon Talon]]. Though everyone's wearing masks, so it's probably okay.

* The Order of the Phoenix in the HarryPotter series has one, though its members were openly against Voldemort: Only their location was hidden.

* There was also the group picture 'hit list' in ''{{Heroes}}''. That one seems to have even been made in duplicate, making one wonder if they were handed out as Christmas gifts that removed all chances of plausible deniability.

* When {{Batman}} is investigating the [[NightOfTheOwls Court of Owls]], he finds several hidden lairs, all with photos taken of Court members with their [[LegacyCharacter latest]] [[TheDragon Talon]]. Though everyone's wearing masks, so it's probably okay.

* When {{Batman}} is investigating the [[AncientConspiracy Court of Owls]], he finds several hidden lairs, all with photos taken of Court members with their [[LegacyCharacter latest]] [[TheDragon Talon]]. Though everyone's wearing masks, so it's probably okay.

* Every graduating class of {{X-Men}} takes such a picture in uniform. While the X-Men do wear uniforms, they are generally considered a secret society because the world at large has no idea who they are, where they come from, and where they go. And they are not a ''recognized'' superhero group like ComicBook/TheAvengers or the ComicBook/FantasticFour.

* ''Vitals'' by GregBear has one of these. Late in the story the main characters find an old photo of the evil secret society that's been pursuing them. Cue shocked recognition, as one of the other main characters is in the photo and is revealed to be part of TheConspiracy.

* Every graduating class of {{X-Men}} takes such a picture in uniform. While the X-Men do wear uniforms, they are generally considered a secret society because the world at large has no idea who they are, where they come from, and where they go. And they are not a ''recognized'' superhero group like ComicBook/TheAvengers or the FantasticFour.

* The initial seven agents who dealt with NBE-1 are shown in photographs on Sector 7's walls in the first ''{{Transformers}}'' movie.

* Every graduating class of {{X-Men}} takes such a picture in uniform. While the X-Men do wear uniforms, they are generally considered a secret society because the world at large has no idea who they are, where they come from, and where they go. And they are not a ''recognized'' superhero group like TheAvengers or the FantasticFour.

* In RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/ToSailBeyondTheSunset'', a photographer takes a photograph of Maureen Johnson, her daughter, her granddaughter, her great-granddaughter, and her great-great-granddaughter at a family wedding. One of the Howard Family Trustees points out that it could endanger the Howard Families' {{Masquerade}} if a photograph of five suspiciously young looking generations of the same family were leaked to the press.
* In ''[[LemonySnicketTheUnauthorizedAutobiography Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography]]'', members of the V.F.D. pose in a picture during the Second Annual Code-Breaking Picnic.

* In RobertAHeinlein's ''ToSailBeyondTheSunset'', a photographer takes a photograph of Maureen Johnson, her daughter, her granddaughter, her great-granddaughter, and her great-great-granddaughter at a family wedding. One of the Howard Family Trustees points out that it could endanger the Howard Families' {{Masquerade}} if a photograph of five suspiciously young looking generations of the same family were leaked to the press.