The rich history of tango is not only documented in recordings, but also in numerous magazines, photos and books. Thanks to the extraordinary work of the collectors, today we can still enjoy that valuable documentary material. Nevertheless, to fully appreciate the value of an image we must understand it in an appropriate context. In this way, these images can contribute to a more global understanding of the reality of the complex social, cultural, historical framework in which the tango was born and developed.

It is fundamental to understand the actual significance of the photos taken in historical context and assure that the information they contain transcends them and completes the information available in the audio recordings.  The same is true for written articles which appeared in the press: these articles contribute more to our understanding of the historical and artistic phenomenon of tango when contextualized by the investigation and opinion of scholars and experts.

For this reason, when it comes to digitizing photos, it is not only important to have the team and equipment specific to each material to be digitized, but also a group of investigators and historians ready to contextualize the content, the historical and artistic value of the image in question.  The same criteria is applied to the digitizing of original sheet music from our archive.

How is it done?

Evaluation and Preparation of Analog Material
The state of preservation or disintegration of the material and its form of presentation (secondary supports, mold, tears, “vinegar syndrome,” etc.) is determined, and the “urgency” factor is evaluated:  must a material be returned quickly, how urgently needed is the content?

Technical information about the material and cataloguing The following information is catalogued: Physical form of the material.  What is the physical material (original paper photographs, or copies, negatives, printed pages, etc)? In what condition is the material (state of preservation)? Is there a secondary physical material with the image (album, frame, etc)? The origin of the material. To whom does the material belong (public or private owners)? Does it belong to a collection or is it an isolated item? Content and value of the material. What is the value of the original material? To which historical period does it belong? What is the historic and artistic significance of the material?

Digital Capture and Storage

The digital capture of photographs, sheet music and other printed materials is done through a high-definition scanner or with a digital camera, depending on the need. For this work we use a Microtek scanner scanMaker i900 and the digital camera is a Canon EOS XTI of 10 megapixel definition with different optical lenses.  We use a photography table to correctly and evenly illuminate the material that is to be photographed.

Our technical experts have designed a procedural manual which includes the management and digitization of original material, and is constantly updated with consultations in analog experience both nationally and internationally.

The criteria for whether a material is digitized are based on the following parameters: • The analog or original format of the image or text • The cultural and historical value of the material • The state of preservation or disintegration and the risk of losing the material • The popularity or usefulness of the content for consultation