Fr. John Rybolt, CM offer an overview and a reminder of the more than 15,000 graphic resources available at the DePaul Image Archive.

Since 2008, the St. Vincent de Paul Image Archive has been offering a large collection of downloadable images related to the Vincentian family. Thanks to DePaul University, which hosts the archive, more than 15,000 images are now available, divided into four general categories: Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac and the Daughters of Charity, Vincentian Persons, and Vincentian Places.

The Image Archive can be accessed easily through Google or other search engines. Another path is through the DePaul University Library website. The easiest way is to click under Library Tools (on A-Z Databases and Journals), then on “All Things Vincentian” at the top left. The second listing in the center of the page, with the icon of St. Vincent, is marked “Images and Icons.” Click on the image, and, on the next page, the “Vincent de Paul Image Archive” appears at the bottom of the page. Then, voilà, the front page of the Image Archive.

At the top right, there are six flags, representing multi-lingual file names for those who prefer them. English is the basic language.

The images are free to download for personal or professional use (such as for newsletters, in-house publications, greeting cards or announcements), but not to be distributed for profit.

Those who want to contact me about various images or details can use a special email established for this purpose: jerybolt@gmail.com.

I am happy to report that people do have questions or observations, and some even send me images to include in the Image Archive. My feeling is that there is a huge mass of material still to be uncovered. For this reason, I welcome new images and acknowledge those who have submitted them. Even though the name “St. Vincent de Paul” is in the title, the archive covers a vast array of possibilities. I am certainly willing to broaden the scope of this undertaking, and will soon be adding “Events” to the Vincentian Persons area.

Where else can you find nearly 7,500 different (or mostly different) images of Vincent de Paul, 2,200+ of Louise de Marillac, the Daughters of Charity, Elizabeth Seton, the Miraculous Medal, and many others?

As of August 2014, the following are the totals, reaching 15,000+ for the first time: St. Vincent de Paul =7,498; St. Louise and Daughters of Charity = 2,281; Vincentian persons and events = 3,449; Vincentian places =2,219.

            Suggestions for improvement are always welcome, too.