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Resources > Retrato Photo Archive of the Fillipinas Heritage Library

posted on

04 Jul 2011

Retrato Photo Archive of the Fillipinas Heritage Library

Retrato is where the public can view the images in the Filipinas Heritage Library’s Photo Archive. It consists of searchable black-and-white images, in thumbnail size, depicting Philippine life through the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The images are documented according to a standard adopted by the Library. There are over 35,000 photos and are expanding the collection.

A long-term project, Retrato has these aims:

  • To classify and document the images in the Library’s Photo Archive
  • To digitise these images and make them accessible online, with a system for ordering and payment
  • To expand the collection to include images from the second half of the 20th century

The Filipinas Heritage Library is a resource center without walls. Retrato is a way of bringing Philippine images, and the stories they tell, to their true home: the Philippines. Retrato particularly wants the images to be a learning resource for students of Philippine history, arts, and culture.