a brief introduction to photo preservation
DESCRIPTION
This is a brief introduction to photograph preservation for archivists.TRANSCRIPT
Overview
I. The ImageII. The ObjectIII. In the ArchivesIV. Exercise
Why?
I. The Image
What’s in an image?I. The Image
Reading an Image
Five Ws
• Who• What • Where• When• Why
I. The Image
Reading an Image
Who?
• Photographer• Subject
I. The Image
Reading an Image
What?
• Present• Absent
I. The Image
Reading an Image
Where?
• Location
I. The Image
Reading an Image
When?
• Fashion• Technology• Absence
I. The Image
Reading an Image
Why?
• Context• Intention
I. The Image
Reading an Image
Why?
• Context• Intention
The "Carrying-in Boy," In an Indiana Glass Works, 1:00 A. M., Aug., 1908. Location: Indiana.National Child Labor Committee Collection
I. The Image
Reading an Image
Visual Elements
• Composition• Depth of field • Point of view • Rhythm • Color balance • Tonal range
I. The Image
II. The Object
Photo Basics
II. The Object
What is photography?II. The Object
What is a photograph?
• A complex physical object that has an image fixed via a photochemical process
II. The Object
Photograph Structure
Base: paper, glass, metal, plastic
Light-sensitive particles: silver, color dyes
Emulsion: gelatin, albumen, collodion
Baryta layer
II. The Object
Photo HistoryII. The Object
Photo HistoryII. The Object
Photo History
• Easier to create• Easier to duplicate• More accessible • Cheaper
II. The Object
Common Formats and Processes
II. The Object
Physical Evidence
• Polarity• Size • Base and mount• Color• Reflection• Microscopic appearance
II. The Object
Physical EvidenceII. The Object
Tintypes (ca. 1856-1930s)
• Collodion on blackened iron base
• Direct positive image
• Extremely popular during Civil War
II. The Object
Tintypes (ca. 1856-1930s)
• Cheap and ubiquitous • Often worn or
scratched
Identification:• Snip marks• Magnet test (on back)• Reversed image• Mainly portraiture
II. The Object
Albumen Prints (1850-1895)
• POP from wet collodion negatives
• Always mounted
• Tend toward sepia/yellowish
II. The Object
Albumen Prints (1850-1895)
• 80% of extant 19th-century prints– Cartes-de-visite– Cabinet cards
Identification:• Paper fibers• Cracking• Yellowing• Mount
Paper fibers visible30x magnification
II. The Object
Lantern Slides (1849-1950s)
• Glass slide
• Positive image
• Often used for educational purposes
II. The Object
Silver Gelatin DOPs (1885-present)
• Dominant 20th-century process
• Dozens of formats
Identification:• Neutral unless toned• Baryta layer (no paper
fibers visible)
II. The Object
Silver Gelatin DOPs (1885-present)II. The Object
Silver Gelatin DOPs (1885-present)II. The Object
Color Prints (1930s-today)
• Organic dyes• Many processes
Identification:• Characteristic
deterioration
• Unstable
II. The Object
Instant Photos (1948-today*)
• Photo printed from packet with negative, developer, base
Identification:• Adhesion markings or
developing pod• Coating flaws
• Unique• Unstable
II. The Object
Film Negatives
• Cellulose nitrate (1887-1950)
• Cellulose diacetate (1937-1956)
• Cellulose triacetate (1947-present)
• Polyester (1960-present)
Roll film
II. The Object
Film Negatives
Identification:• Notch codes• Other tests
• Cellulose bases unstable
Sheet film
II. The Object
Other ProcessesII. The Object
Digital Photos (1990-today)
• Sensor converts light to bits, computer renders image
• Digital preservation
II. The Object
Why?
• Preservation
• Access
• Context
II. The Object
Why?
• Photographs offer evidences and resonances not offered by other media
II. The Object
III. In the Archives
Handling
• Wear gloves• Provide support• Use only pencils• Gently remove from housing• Be aware of physical condition• Create and follow handling policy• Consider surrogates
III. In the Archives
• I: Enclosures (contact material)
• II: Furniture (proximity material)
• III: Environment
Levels of ProtectionIII. In the Archives
• Paper (envelopes, four-flaps) – Cheaper, blocks light, breathable– Viewing requires handling
• Plastic (polyester, polystyrene, etc. No PVC!)– Viewing without handling– Expensive, not for unstable items
• Must pass Photographic Activity Test (PAT)
EnclosuresIII. In the Archives
Enclosures
• Boxes and folders– PAT test– Proper support for format (long edge down or
flat)
• Ideally, separate photographs from other materials, and then by format (especially negatives!)
Balance condition/format, use, resources
III. In the Archives
Environment
• Temperature / relative humidity• Light (sunlight, UV light)• Pollutants (gaseous and particulate)• Biological (mold, fungus, pests)
III. In the Archives
Environment
• B/W silver gelatin: 65°F, 30-50% RH• B/W acetate negatives: 7°F, 30-50% RH• Chromogenic dye on paper: 36°F, 30-40% RH
Most good for the most items
III. In the Archives
Selected Resources
• General
Photographs: Archival Care and Management, Ritzenthaler & Vogt-O'Connor (2006)
Care and Identification of 19th-Century Photographic Prints, Reilly (1986)
III. In the Archives
Selected Resources
• General
SAA photo preservation workshop
Photo preservation and photo conservation listservs
III. In the Archives
Selected Resources
• Cartes de VisiteCartes de Visite in Nineteenth Century Photography,
Darrah (1981)
• FashionDressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans
and Fashion, 1840-1900, Severa (1995)
III. In the Archives
Selected Resources
• Gelatin silverA Guide to Fiber-Base Gelatin Silver Print Condition
and Deterioration, Weaver (2008)
• NegativesThe Acetate Negative Survey, Horvath (1987)
III. In the Archives
IV. Exercise
• Divide into three groups• Describe how to identify the photograph
using image and physical evidence (5 min)• Share your conclusions
Group 1
Group 1
Sixth-plate sized tintype, 1880s• Magnet test, snip marks• Image reversed – watch customarily on left• Jacket, tie, and hat match 1880s style
Group 2
Group 2
Carte-de-visite, early 1870s• Medium card stock, square corners (1869-1871)• Borders, common 1861-1869• Imprint with length-wise large type (common
1870-1875)• Shoes probably 1865-1875 • Photographers active in 1870s
Group 3
Group 3
Gelatin silver “real photo” postcard, ca. 1910s
• Neutral tonal range, silvering• Cyko postage stamp area (1904-1920s)• Divided back, no border: 1907-1915
III. In the Archives
Thank you!
http://slidesha.re/photopres
@archivistkevin