Category Tags

Fortepan Iowa’s Category Tags are a set of controlled vocabulary terms at a high, topical / thematic level that we assign to a given image. We apply between 1 and 5 Category Tags as we upload a photo. They are general, “umbrella” tags. They are meant to be consistent, uniform, and finite to be most usable and accessible to users and researchers as they search and browse. Every image has at least one Category Tag.

Aerial shots - taken from above ground level
Animals - amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles
Barns - farming structures or buildings
Businesses and Factories - physical places of business and factories (such as storefronts, interior offices, and assembly lines)
Cemeteries and Funerals - images depicting cemeteries or funerals
Children - people under 18 years of age
Cities and Towns - collections of buildings, houses, streets
Civic Engagement - activities and events of a community, civic, or political nature or public concern
Entertainment - people and events centered around intentional enjoyment/amusement (such as parades, concerts, plays, celebrations, performances)
Fairs and Festivals - public events celebrating and showcasing community achievements and identities (such as state fairs, county fairs, competitions, pageants)
Families - more than one family member
Farming Equipment - equipment used for agricultural and livestock-raising purposes, both mechanical and manual (such as machinery, horses and carts, tractors)
Farms - landscape and physical structures and activities serving agriculture and/or livestock care and/or storage purposes (such as silos, barns, grain bins, cornfields, pastures, pens, animals, people, harvest)
Floods - overflowing water beyond normal confines, including evidence in areas that have suffered from flooding
Food and Meals - images depicting food/drink preparation, consumption, storage, clean up, table settings (can be informal or formal)
Holidays - events and activities related to widely recognized celebrations of religious or cultural significance (can be public or private celebrations, and may depict customs, rituals, symbols / objects)
Hospitals - physical places of medical care and treatment (interior and exterior)
Homes - domestic structures and scenes (interior and exterior)
Labor and Occupations - people engaged in or representing work
Lakes, Rivers, and Streams - surface bodies of water
Landscapes - images where the primary subject is land and scenery, without people (but may include animals)
Leisure - activities centered around the loosely organized use of free time (such as dates, dances, picnics, social outings, games, reading). Individuals dressed up like they're going to a formal dance counts as leisure.
Main Streets and Town Squares - primary avenues through towns and cities. This will always be exterior. it can include storefronts, vehicles, people
Military and Veterans - people, activities, and events related to past or present U.S. military service
Motorized Vehicles - all transportation vehicles that are motorized (such as cars, trains, boats, planes, buses, tractors)
Outdoor Recreation - organized activities and events conducted outside (such as camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, swimming, golf)
People of Color - non-white people
Portraits - Group - image where primary subject is a group of people, especially when they are engaging directly with a camera
Portraits - Individual - image where the primary subject is an individual, especially when they are engaging directly with a camera. Can be studio or outdoors.
Prisons and Criminal Justice - image that concerns prison, jail, crime, or court systems.
Religion - people, services, and/or symbols of religious belief or affiliation (excluding secular celebrations)
Religious Structures - physical exteriors and interiors of places of worship
Schools and Education - physical structures centered around and/or people engaged in organized learning at any level
Sports - people formally or informally engaged in competitive team or individual recreation events or activities
Train Stations - physical structures where trains stop
Travel - Iowans trips to other places--whether for vacation, war, or other.
Weddings - marriage ceremonies and celebrations, including services and receptions
Winter - people and/or scenery depicting the coldest season of the year, defined when there is snow or ice.
Wrecks - images of accidents, crashes, or damage–mostly outdoors but can be indoors too.