Photo Investigator is a user-friendly application highlighting some of the tens of thousands of photographic images in our collection. The images date from the late 19th Century to the present.
Photo Investigator is a searchable database, which provides access to each image and its descriptive metadata. The application was designed in-house with the intention of linking it to Archives Investigator (our catalogue). This unique function allows you to navigate from an image in Photo Investigator to the detailed record series information, of which the image forms a part, in Archives Investigator.
We started digitising the collection in 2002. The images have been indexed using the Australian Pictorial Thesaurus.
Searching Photo Investigator
There a four ways you can search the database:
- Subject search - alphabetical list of subjects
- Simple keyword search - use a keyword or phrase
- Advanced search - use keywords and a date range
- Search by series - browse the collections by series
We recommend using the subject search or search by series options, initially, as a way of familiaring yourself with the range of subjects and the available record series.
Search results
Images matching your search criteria will be displayed as thumbnails in the Search Results page along with information about the image (the metadata). Click on the thumbnail image to view a larger version which will open in a new window. Use the "Close this Window" link in the upper right hand corner to return to the search Results screen. To view more information about the record series in Archives Investigator click the Series Number link.
The Search Results page will also tell you the number of images it found using your search criteria. There are options to search again and information on how to order a high resolution (600dpi) digital copy of the image. Note: the images displayed in the search results are all low resolution (75dpi) which is suitable for online viewing.
Technical information
The following table provides the general technical information.
|
Resolution |
600dpi |
|
Bit depth |
24 bit RGB |
|
Compression |
JPG 75dpi |
|
Image size |
Approx 600 x 400 |
|
Colour space |
Adobe RGB |
|
Colour management |
RGB ICC profile embedded |
|
File format |
JPG for Web |
More information
» See Archives in Brief 99: Introducing Photo Investigator