An image analysis workstation is described which supports the object-oriented representation and manipulation of grayscale sensed image objects. Segmented grayscale images are transformed automatically into a novel list-oriented representation. Image objects resemble jigsaw puzzle pieces which fit together to form a grayscale image. An image object contains information about its appearance and methods for its manipulation. Image objects are defined within the Flavors object-oriented language and are implemented on a Symbolics LISP machine. Applications include multi-sensor image fusion, data fusion, automated cartography, automated reconnaissance, and image understanding system development.