The Bhaktivedanta Archives | Collections: Images

Images

Image preservation has many phases.
In the earlier days of the Bhaktivedanta Archives, 4x5 duplicates of the best images of Srila Prabhupada were made and distributed throughout the world to the various BBT divisions. Now with the digital era, it is much easier to duplicate, identify, add descriptive data, and distribute the image collection.

Between 1966 and 1984, ISKCON was a dynamic phenomenon, unparalleled in religious history. The BBT´s collection of transparencies and negatives is an extremely valuable asset for future researchers of Vaisnavism and Hinduism. The approximate 40,000 images of Srila Prabhupada, 150,000 images of ISKCON activities between 1966 and 1985, including temples, Ratha-yatra festivals, farms, and the devotees themselves, preserve the historic record of that era. There are also tens of thousands of images of related material such as India's holy places.

Color images are the most sensitive items in the entire archives because the photographic dyes can fade over time. Fortunately, most of the photographers used Kodak Kodachrome film, which is the most stable of all color films. Digital scanning and cataloging of all these images as well as long-term storage for preservation is a priority for the Bhaktivedanta Archives.

The original film is stored in a temperature and humidity-controlled vault in order to slow down the natural deterioration caused by the effects of time through molecular movement. We will eventually freeze all the original film to aid in the long-term life of these precious originals.

The digital images are stored on various types of media in several locations.