click ’ dust removal filters cannot be used because they tend to degrade sharpness and clarity ). Manipulation of contrast , light levels and colour curves has also been carried out to correct for fading , darkening etc .
Archivists may feel that the presentation of photographs in their current damaged or faded state is the correct archival procedure . My view is different . I feel that the photographers of yesteryear would much prefer that their images were presented in their original condition ( rather than their current condition ), or close to it , if this can be achieved without compromising the content of the original . Careful digital techniques allow this to happen ; indeed , it is an amazing truism that old photographs in even excellent condition can be made sharper , more vivid and impactful with subtle digital massaging . Such is the subtlety and power of the tools that Photoshop software offers . It would be somewhat perverse to ignore their restorative capabilities .
An Online Exhibition
Not long after the scanning project began the Museum of Samoa indicated that they felt there was benefit to be had by placing the images online for the widest possible appreciation . Display space at the museum premises in Apia is limited and there was no point in having the photos sitting unseen for years on an office hard drive . Out of this discussion grew the concept of a stand-alone website for the best of the collection . To add coherence and meaning to the exhibition it was decided to group the images into chapters or themes . The result was the internet exhibition that can be accessed at this link : http :// germansinsamoa . net /
The display of more than 250 images was uploaded in three parts over 12 months between 2013 and 2014 . Since then , some updating has been carried out – fine-tuning of captions ( in the light of new information ) and the addition of a few new images . One satisfying outcome of the exhibition has been the discovery by Germans and German Samoan people all round the world of family images that they never thought existed . The encouraging online comments made by viewers have not only been rewarding for the exhibition creators and donors but have yielded valuable supplementary historical information as well . In this way , the idea originating from one person has grown into an increasingly collaborative exploit .
This eBook is almost the final step in the process . Recognising that the online exhibition may close at some time in the future , I undertook , beginning in mid-2015 , to turn much of it into a digital publication , namely a PDF that can be downloaded and stored by people on their own computers , tablets or other digital devices . In other words , a permanent record for those who might want it . This publication is Part One of that enterprise . It includes most of the online collection , with many new photographs , much new commentary and the odd new chapter . In principle , a second eBook is planned ; in practise , its completion will depend on the availability of time and resources . Part Two is intended to focus extensively on imagery and commentary relating to the German colonists ’ most remarkable contribution to Samoa , the extraordinary plantations that were the dominant factor in the Samoan economy for a hundred years . Part Two is also planned to showcase images taken by long time Apia resident Gustav
| To Walk Under Palm Trees - The Germans in Samoa : Snapshots from Albums | Tony Brunt
8