The
Marshallese Cultural Society is undertaking digitization,
retouch/restoration, printing and electronic storage
and archiving of over 2400 photographic glass plate
negatives created between 1890-1930 in the Marshall
Islands. This poster paper presents a summary of
the technical, organizational, cultural processes
that have brought the project to fruition.
KEYWORDS: glass plate digitization, Micronesian
history, Joaquim DeBrum
DeBrum Plate E-200
(DeBrum Collection)
PROJECT DETAILS
The
Marshallese Cultural Society, a nonprofit organization
located in the Marshall Islands, is now undertaking
the digitization of the glass plates with the goal
of capturing the images before further deterioration. The plates, ranging in size from 2”x3” to 8”x10”,
are being scanned and archived as 1600 dpi TIF images.
The images will then undergo a restoration effort
as needed. Restoration includes adjusting the scan’s
tonal range to maximize photographic detail as well
as retouching areas of damage (cracks in the glass,
cracks in the emulsion, and deterioration of the emulsion
due to time, mold, salt and a variety of unknown elements).
For ease in identification, a re-sized (falling within
7.5” x 10”) 200 dpi image is made for
printing purposes.
There
are almost 2500 glass plate negatives that survive
today and are being housed currently in a facility
that generally has controlled air quality. For years,
however, the plates were housed on an outer island
in elements not conducive to long life of emulsion.
That we have the plates at all with images intact
is probably a miracle. They were saved from WW2 bombings
by being removed to a small island and buried for
a time.
The
project has complemented technical efforts with a
focus on gathering background information on the plates.
Commentary on the photographs has been solicited
and recorded from Joaquim’s surviving son Leonard
DeBrum, who at present time is 85 years old.
Comments are documented in writing or recorded
on videotapes and audiotapes. Comments are then transcribed
as background information for each photograph whenever
possible. An electronic searchable database of photographs
and comments has been established.
The
material end product of efforts has included the following:
Ø
High
resolution digital files of the entire original DeBrum
collection
Ø
Digital
files of retouched and restored photographs stored
on CD’s
Ø
Archival
quality digital prints of the restored photographs
Ø
An
electronic data base for the photographs
THE
PROJECT PROCESS – TECHNICAL ASPECTS
The
glass plates look to be a combination of collodian
or wet plates and dry plates. They were lettered and
numbered with what appears to be India ink at some
point, but it isn’t clear whether this was done
by Joaquim or someone else, or if it was done at the
time the images were taken, or much later. The glass
plates were organized by a couple from Illinois working
on a grant sometime in the late 1970’s, and
at some point they were catalogued, but the records
we have of this are incomplete.
In
a traditional darkroom situation, the glass plate
negatives would be contact-printed plate emulsion
to paper emulsion, rendering the positive on the light-sensitive
surface with processing. To accomplish this on a scanner,
a transparency adapter is used to supply the light
that passes through the negative. To avoid the problem
of Newton rings which occur when glass touches glass
we have developed cardboard shims that hold the plates
just off the glass surface of the scanner, while also
taking into account the depth of focus capabilities
of the scanner.
When
there is surface damage to one side of the plate,
it has been found that more detail is acquired by
scanning the plate with the unscarred side towards
the scanner and then flipping the image digitally
once it is in Photoshop.
DeBrum
plate E-55 detail scanned with damaged glass towards
scanner. (DeBrum Collection)
DeBrum
Plate E-55 detail scanned with damaged glass towards
the transparency adapter and flipped in Photoshop.
(DeBrum Collection)
The
scanning software is utilized to get the most accurate
exposure for each plate. Since the exposures of the
plates vary immensely, so do the scanning exposures.
The final scan is done at 1600 dpi, maximum optical
resolution for this scanner. Once the image is scanned
and is opened in Photoshop then a variety of tools
can be utilized for cropping to the image and adjusting
tonal qualities. For now, these primary scanned images
are stored on CD’s to be moved to whatever stable
storage media is next. From these images come the
1600 dpi images being restored digitally. This takes
place on a separate layer in Photoshop. These images
will eventually become reunited with their primary
scan once sufficient work is done.
TECHNICAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
2
Macintosh G4’s with 512 MB RAM
Adobe
Photoshop 6.0
Epson
1600 scanner with transparency adapter
Yamaha
CD/RW burner
Adaptec
Toast CD burning software
Epson
Stylus Photo 2000P Printer
THE
PROJECT PROCESS: EXPANDING SKILLS AND ACCESS
The
digitization project has not only been a process for
restoring and archiving lost photographs, it has been
a learning opportunity for Marshall Islanders associated
with the project.
In a general sense it has brought a new awareness
of the kinds of things that digital imaging technology
can accomplish. In more concrete terms it has resulted in a core of individuals
who are becoming proficient in scanning and manipulation
of digital images.
Individuals who began with minimal computer
skills are now comfortable and confident with fairly
complex computer tasks.
Engaging indigenous people with an exploration
of their cultural roots has yielded expertise that
several are already applying in other areas of work
and personal interest.
We are hopeful that the finesse and expertise
gained during the project will translate into discriminating
use of appropriate new technologies in this part of
Micronesia.
THE
FUTURE
With
the integrity of the images on the glass plate negatives
ensured in the new digital format there is a tremendous
range of opportunities for future uses.
The project members envision three significant
subsequent projects.
One is to convert the images and accompanying
commentary into an html format to allow widespread
access to low-resolution versions of the materials
via the web.
A second goal is a book of high quality DeBrum
photos with accompanying notes and historical background.
A third goal would be to produce multimedia
cd’s incorporating the images, video, audio,
etc. that could be disseminated to outer islands where
they may have computers that could read CD's but not
Internet access. Any future undertakings will of course
depend on support from the DeBrum family.
We are hopeful that we will be able to identify
a confluence of interests wherein there are benefits
to the DeBrum family while the Marshallese and the
greater Pacific communities gain from easy access
to the photograph collection.
BACKGROUND
The
Marshall Islands are located in eastern Micronesia
just above the Equator. The islands are renowned as the home of
some of the best indigenous navigators in the Pacific. The islands are also famous for Bikini
Atoll—site of United States nuclear testing
in the 1950’s and source of inspiration for
naming the bikini swimsuit.
Much
less known and incompletely documented is the cultural
history of the islands.
The scattered atolls were neglected backwaters
of the Spanish Empire from the time of Magellan’s
circumnavigation until the islands were formally ceded
to Germany in 1886. American missionaries first arrived
in 1857.
Traders
followed and by the 1870’s the islands had emerged
as a center for the lucrative Pacific copra trade
with a strong German trade presence. The islands remained a German colony until
the League of Nations awarded the islands to Japan
in 1918. The German colonial period was a time
of major transition for the Marshalls: the culture
transformed from an isolated and traditional semi-nomadic
island culture to a trade economy familiar with Western
ways and artifacts.
Documentation of the social and material changes
experienced by the Marshall Islanders during this
time is limited.
JOAQUIM
DEBRUM
Joaquim
DeBrum (1860-1937) compiled the most complete visual
record of life in the Marshall Islands during the
German colonial period as a series of extraordinary
glass plate negative photographs.
Joaquim’s father was a Portuguese seaman
who was one of the first European traders in the Marshalls.
His mother was the daughter of Marshallese
chief. Thus, not only does DeBrum’s life
coincide with a major transformation of Marshallese
society, he has a unique and intimate bicultural perspective
on the process.
DeBrum
Plate J826 – Joachim DeBrum (DeBrum Collection)
THE DEBRUM PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION
During
his lifetime Joaquim DeBrum took almost 2500 photographs
of people and places in Micronesia.
These photographs represent an invaluable record
of Micronesian life and times. An occasional photograph has accompanied
past historical and ethnographic publications. The overwhelming majority of the photos
have not been preserved or collected for public and
professional scrutiny. DeBrum’s remarkable work survives,
however, in the form of his original glass negative
plates. Some of these plates are over 100 years
old and all are suffering the ravages of time in varying
degrees.
DeBrum
Plate E-44 (DeBrum Collection)
THE
PROJECT PROCESS: THE TECHNOLOGICAL LINKING OF PAST,
PRESENT, AND FUTURE
When
Joachim DeBrum first brought his camera equipment
to his island home in the Marshalls, he astounded
the islanders with his near-magical ability to capture
freeze his colorful living subjects into thin gray
scale pictures. In his choice of subjects and photographic
composition there is little doubt that DeBrum was
doing more than creating photographs for albums; he
clearly was aware of his role as a photographic ethnographer.
The glass plate technology was a means of preserving
images of a fast-changing island culture for posterity.
Some of his photographs were, in fact, used
contemporaneously in various German publications to
convey a visual sense of the islands and its people. The passing of years has demonstrated
unavoidable limits to the glass plate and photograph
media. The original photographic prints themselves
have been lost, filed away, given to various subjects
or families, or have lost detail and quality. The
glass plates have proved to be a durable medium so
far but printing of new photographs entails risks
to the integrity of the plates.
The plates themselves demonstrate a clear and
inevitable degradation.
DeBrum
Plate D-69 Black areas on upper and lower parts of
the plate indicate the loss of emulsion. (DeBrum Collection)
The
technology used in this project is neither cutting
edge nor radical. Nonetheless it provides striking advantages
over the traditional photographic approach. Handling the fragile glass plates is minimized.
The more flexible and forgiving process of
digital scanning and software image processing replace
the challenging art of traditional dark room developing
of prints. From the original high resolution scanned
image multiple future images can be produced in the
future without degeneration since the digital image
is utilized as the negative. The electronic medium allows unprecedented
portability and transmissibility as well as eventual
archival retrieval for both the public and researchers. Last, with proper care and backup the images--both original
scans and their incarnations as retouched photos--will
endure as long as an archivist maintains the basic
hardware/software/storage to retrieve the pictures…a
kind of archival immortality. The technology allows generations of future scholars and island
residents to study the first photographic documentation
of Marshallese people and places.
DeBrum
Plate E-36 (DeBrum Collection)
THE
PROJECT PROCESS: ARCHIVAL RIPPLE EFFECT
An
unexpected byproduct of the project was what we have
come to call the “archival ripple effect”.
As we began our efforts we showed how photographs
as well as negatives could be scanned and how fading
or damaged photographs could be reproduced and revitalized
through digital reproduction.
It became quickly known within several of the
island communities that old photographs could be brought
to life (and small images could be enlarged for viewing
as well as ease of identification). As a consequence we have received a steady stream of old photographs
to the project office for reproduction and enlargement. Photographs that were undergoing a slow
degradation in the perpetually warm, humid and saline
climate came to us for restoration.
Photographs that were hidden away as family
treasures came to us for reproduction. In return for processing these old photographs
the Cultural Center has been allowed to keep digital
versions and prints of the photographs to add to archive
files. Success has bred success. A growing central file of pictures from dating from the 1890’s
to the 1950’s has accompanied the development
of the DeBrum photograph digital project.
CHALLENGES
AND SHORTCOMINGS
The
most obvious challenge in putting together a project
of this sort in a remote atoll (we are 2400 miles
west of Hawaii—tiny specks of land in the vast
Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Guam) is logistical. After funding was obtained in the form
of a grant from AusAid, it took almost 3 months to
select, purchase, and transport needed equipment,
software, and supplies here, (No overnight delivery service in the
islands!) In
these first few months we have encountered no technical
or equipment problems but troubleshooting and repair
of failing equipment could cripple comparable projects
in similarly remote areas.
The
most critical challenge was not technical but socio-cultural. The DeBrum family has recognized for many
years that the glass plate collection is exceptionally
valuable. (There is a family story about Joaquim's
sons taking the plates to an uninhabited island and
burying them during the latter part of World War II
for burial to protect them from air strikes that never
materialized.)
The family has been quite cautious in allowing
reproductions of the photographs.
There has been a proud sense of ownership accompanied
by apprehension that others may copy the images for
their own profit diminishing the value to the DeBrum
family. One of the unfortunate results is that
good copies of prints have been difficult or impossible
to obtain in the past.
Another result is that many of the plates have
no readily accessible hard copy in recent years. In order to proceed with the project we
needed to gain the trust and support of the 85-year-old
son of Joaquim who has been the custodian of the films.
Success in gaining this support evolved slowly. We first explained the digital process,
producing some examples of digitally restored photographs
that the project photographer had produced in the
past (as well as some digitally restored prints of
images that Leonard DeBrum had given us of family
members in our first contact).
We then successfully conveyed the news that
the technology offered the opportunity to preserve
and restore the images that would be ultimately lost
in the glass plate medium. Finally and most importantly we were able
to gain the trust of the DeBrum family. We believe this emerged from our enthusiasm for the pictures,
our respect and administration for the Marshallese
culture, and an unhurried deferential approach to
hammering out a final understanding about the scope
and goals of the project.
It is interesting to note that although one
of the attributes of the digital medium is the opportunity
to distribute images widely, the family has been very
explicit about limiting copies to those under control
of the two Marshall Islands cultural museums.
A
CONCLUDING OVERVIEW
Through
digitization the DeBrum Photograph Project has reclaimed
for perpetuity this collection of unique images--for
the Marshallese people as well as ethnographers. The
original glass plate negatives were a unique encounter
of Micronesian culture and an early photographic technology
put to use by a talented islander with intelligence
and vision.
The new digital technology results in unprecedented
access, organization, and flexibility in archiving
and reproducing images providing key insights to Micronesian
history and culture. Through restoration and retouching,
the photographs have gained an otherwise impossible
clarity and completeness. Through digital storage and archiving
the images have the capability for future widespread
dissemination for public viewing and education as
well as Micronesian cultural/historical study. Through involvement of indigenous
Marshallese the project has provided local individuals
and institutions training and insights in the use
of digital tools to preserve, archive and disseminate
images. In
the final analysis the current success and future
development of projects are dependent on interpersonal
relationships—a working partnership of technical
experts, institutional leaders, and those who possess
the artifacts and knowledge of the past.
This
project was made possible by a grant from the Australian
Agency for International Development
ABOUT
THE AUTHORS
Eric
Lindborg
is the President of the Marshallese Cultural Society
and a 20-year resident of the Marshall Islands
Cristina
Lindborg
is the Artistic Director and Exhibit Designer for
the Marshallese Cultural Society and a 20-year resident
of the Marshall Islands.
Sue
Rosoff is a photographer/digital
imager for the Kwajalein Missile Range as well as
for this project. She received an MA in Photography
from UC Berkeley where she was the 1983 Dorothea Lange
Fellow. She taught photography at colleges in Northern
California and was a photographer/digital imager in
Special Collections at California State University
at Chico. She has resided in the Marshall Islands
for almost 2 years
