Systems and methods for describing image content establish image description records which include an object set (24), an object hierarchy (26) and entity relation graphs (28). For image content, image objects can include global objects (O0 8) and local objects (O1 2 and O2 6). The image objects are further defined by a number of features of different classes (36, 38 and 40), which in turn are further defined by a number of feature descriptors. The relationships between and among the objects in the object set are defined by the object hierarchy (26) and entity relation graphs (28). The image description records provide a standard vehicle for describing the content and context of image information for subsequent access and processing by computer applications such as search engines, filters, and archive systems.