>>1811790
>>1811414
>>1786884
>>1787717
A) Track history of the photo, is what I took Q to have meant. But, yes, B) track history of items in the photo, too, as per your post. And, yes, also C) track history of the other person in the photo – D) and of relationship (whatever form it took) with Hussein.
Room mate took the photo inside the shared apartment. The other person in the photo was not Hussein's room mate at that time (if he ever was).
https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/archive/jan_feb09/alumni_corner
https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/recollections-of-obamas-ex-roommate/
A1) When was photo taken? Fall of 1981, first trimester.
A2) Where was photo taken? Inside living room in apartment on 3E at 142 West 109th Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus, New York City. To sit in the living room, they first would have passed through kitchen, Hussein's room, and room mate's room.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8018856,-73.9623376,284m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8020532,-73.9635077,3a,75y,230.21h,92.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGh70t72SXPAGUu04bHeSxA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
A3) Who took the photo? Phil Boerner, room mate at that time in that residence. Today he is communications and public relations manager at the California Veterinary Medical Association. He is a registered Democrat.
A4) Photos of Phil Boerner is at the links. One was taken by Hussein in 81. The other was taken much more recently (before publication date of Jan/Feb volume of Columbia College Today and before publication date on NY Times article - Jan 20, 2009.
A5) Photo supplied for publication by Phil Boerner.
B1) See your comments and graphic.
On item B, the apartment was described in the article at the link. Snippet:
"We both transferred from Oxy to Columbia in fall 1981. Barack had found an apartment on West 109th Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus, and suggested that I room with him. Our sublet was a third-story walk-up in a so-so neighborhood; the unit next door was burned out and vacant. The doorbell didn’t work; to be let in when I first arrived I had to yell up to Barack from the street. It was a railroad apartment: From the kitchen, you walked into Barack’s room, then my room, and lastly the living room. We didn’t have a television or computers. In that apartment we hosted a number of visitors, mostly friends from Oxy who stayed overnight when they were passing through town."
C1) The two roomies hosted visitors, mostly friends from Occidental College (Los Angeles) who stayed overnight when they were passing through town. Was the other person in the photo one such visitor? Appears he was not a room mate at that time in that residence.
C2) The other person seated on the sofa was a friend, Sohale Siddiqi. Source: Phil Boerner.
C3) Possibly a Pakistani friend who taught Hussein to cook chicken curry.
Sidenote: Hussein wrote an article for Sundial, in 1983:
https://www.scribd.com/document/10978031/1983-article-by-Barack-Obama-Breaking-the-War-Mentality-in-Columbia-University-s-Sundial-magazine