Francesca Woodman, Blueprint for a Temple (1980), diazo collage, 173 1/4 × 111 3/16 in. Image courtesy metmuseum.org.
Greta Glaser and Maggie Wessling presented on diazotype research that was conducted in the Photograph Conservation Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art between 1999-2012. One catalyst for this research was the 2012 display of Francesca Woodman’s Blueprint for a Temple, made up of 29 separate diazotype prints collaged together to form one image. The goal for research was to determine the best display and storage methods for the long-term preservation of diazotypes—generally through to be sensitive to deterioration caused by the environment.
As an overview of the process, Glaser described the nature of diazotypes as single layer direct positives often printed on paper supports of macerated cotton and purified wood pulp. The combination of diazo compounds with a phenol coupler and acid stabilizer produces the image, resulting in a range of possible colors, including the most common bluish-purple. Diazotypes were first marketed in the United States in the 1920s and could be used for photographic images as well as architectural drawings and other reproductions because of their ability to print with very little dimensional change from the original negative.
In order to make a thorough investigation of diazotypes and their response to the environmental, Glaser and Wessling set up light and relative humidity experiments on vintage as well as freshly processed sample papers, and Sanderson collected data on the Woodman print during installation. All experiments were calculated for roughly six months of display. Their combined spectrophotometer and microfade testing analysis produced the following summarized results:
High humidity and light = yellowing and fading (reddening)
All environments at or below 50% RH = same result
In the dark, yellowing still occurs, but fading does not = greenish cast
The rate of color change accelerates with age
After 20 minutes of testing, samples fade between blue wool 2-3 (equivalent to approximately 1.2 million lux hours of exposure to cause noticeable fading)
Wessling summarized their conclusions from the study and highlighted the fact that environmental conditions were not controlled during analysis, which may have an affect on the data. Ultimately, diazotypes will fade with light exposure and will become yellowed in the dark, but if we can reduce the relative humidity, especially during display, the effects of exhibition will do less to alter the permanence of these photographs.
T. Rose Holdcraft presented a decade-long collaborative project between Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (Cambridge, MA) and the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository (Kodiak, AK). The joint initiative, funded by a IMLS Save America’s Treasures grant in 2011, sought to conserve and enhance access to an at-risk Alaska Native collection in the Peabody Museum.
The collection includes four Alutiiq kayaks and over 100 associated objects, including harpoons, kayak models, and skin-constructed parkas, pouches, boots, among others. Items of particular import include a rare warrior’s kayak identified as Alutiiq by its bifurcated bow, as well as the only known example of a full-sized double bladed paddle*. Many of the collection items were acquired from a US Army surveyor working in Alaska circa 1867. At that time, ocean going watercraft remained the primary means of transportation. Alutiiq kayaks are thus culturally and historically significant, yet knowledge of their manufacture method had nearly been lost because their use was formerly preserved largely through oral history.
Alutiiq consultants included Sven Haakanson, former director of the Alutiiq Museum, Alutiiq elder Ronnie Lind, Alutiiq skin-sewer Susan Malutin, and traditionally-trained Kodiak Alutiiq kayak-maker Alfred Naumoff. Workshops taught at the Peabody included skin sewing techniques by Susan Malutin, and kayak model building by Alfred Naumoff. In addition to two site visits, video conferencing and camera scopes enabled communication with consultants so that sampling requests, treatment, and housing decisions could collaboratively advance from afar.
A publicly accessible work space was created in the Peabody galleries, in which the treatment of the kayaks and other objects was undertaken. Conservators were available to answer questions from museum visitors three afternoons per week. Meanwhile, a dedicated Facebook page provided project updates and highlights. Related educational programs included an object-centered Museum Anthropology course, which was conducted within the gallery work space as well as the lab.
Additionally, PMF-MALDI-TOF was used to characterize skin and sinew thread types. Humpback whale sinew was identified on one kayak, as well as bearded seal skin (formerly presumed to be sea lion skin)! The analytic results enable comparisons between current and historical material use. Study and stabilization of the collection will enable its long-term loan to the Alutiiq Museum, thereby preserving and repatriating traditional knowledge to the Alutiiq community.
*According to Sven Haakanson, a contemporary Alutiiq artist carved a new paddle from a sketch of the double-bladed original in the Peabody’s collection. After testing it in Kodiak, he reports that his paddle’s exit from the water is silent as compared to plastic versions. For those interested, Haakanson plans to teach double-bladed kayak making in Seattle.
Nicole Ladoux, a Samuel H. Kress Fellow at the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museum, presented her talk entitled “Conserving Stringed Sculpture: Treatment of Henry Moore’s Mother and Child.” She described the complicated decisions surrounding whether or not to replace or preserve degraded linen strings used on a cast lead sculpture. The treatment illustrated innovative techniques that could be incredibly useful for others with similar stringed challenges. Having been confronted with an almost identical bronze sculpture at the Baltimore Museum of Art, I was eager to hear how she had overcome the challenges that I worried about with my own project. Henry Moore Mother and Child, 1939 Lead and string on stone base 13.5 x 18.8 x 5.1 cm (5 5/16 x 7 3/8 x 2 in.) Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Mary Gershinowitz, 2003.40.19
Moore is well known for his Mother and Child sculptures and for working with a variety of materials but you might not have seen his stringed sculptures. Harvard’s Mother and Child was part of series from 1939. An edition of seven bronze and string sculptures were made but Harvard’s is the only known lead sculpture from the series. He made several other lead sculptures in different forms between 1938-40.
When Nicole first encountered Mother and Child, it had seen better days. The lead sculpture was abraded and gouged in areas with a white haze, while the loose, frayed, and broken strings had changed from yellow to brown. Working from an older photo, she was able to create a diagram documenting what was there and how it all went back together. This diagram was crucial and developing the treatment. The treatment centered around one question: to repair or restring?
The strings were threaded through holes in the sculpture that were then covered over with lead solder making the restringing difficult. If she were to restring, the solder would have to be removed to complete the task. To repair the strings, she would be challenged to reattach and secure what was there without much flexibility. In the end, she and the curator decided to preserve what was there, partially because the color of the stings was considered acceptable in light of the overall patina that the lead had taken on over the years.
Nicole reached out to the Objects Specialty Group distlist for suggestions and researched treatment options. She created mockups by stretching modern linen thread, slicing them, and testing repairs. Adhesives tested included 50% B-72 in acetone, Lascaux 498HV, and wheat starch paste in conjunction with Stabiltex threads and twisted rolls of Japanese tissue paper. In the end, the best option proved to be the wheat starch paste and Japanese tissue paper. The tissue gripped and held the tension better.
The next challenge was how to hold and align the threads so she could perform her repairs and have precise alignment. Realizing that this was a known challenge for a ship model restorer, she consulted one who suggested using electric wire test clamps. She was then able to construct a jig using the clamps, twill tape, foam blocks, and a magnifying glass (among other items) to do the repairs. You’ll have to wait on the OSG postprints to see how this all works together because I even need to see it again. The key seemed to be the clamps. Her strategy depended on the situation including where the string was attached and what had to happen. For instance, a string that had pulled out of its original socket could be covered with a protective tissue sleeve and secured in the hole with B-72, and held with a clamp padded with volara. Other more complicated breaks, such as a one that broke that near the hole where it was threaded in the center of the sculpture, could be reattached using multiple twists that were used to hold tension and then others that were used to secure two broken ends together. The clamping jig was key to holding everything together. If there was a gap, more twists could be added to bulk up the missing area and better secure the string. Again, you’ll have to use your imagination but just wait until you see Nicole’s images because it will all be clear!
Nicole acknowledged that these repairs will likely weaken with age. She mentioned that restringing could become necessary in the future but that treatment works well for the moment. Overall, it was a great in depth look into a complicated problem. I can’t wait to take another look at my museum’s Mother and Child and digest these excellent tips and suggestions.
If you are a fan of mid-century modern architecture, Columbus, Indiana, is not to be missed. I drove straight there after hearing this NPR story about the “The Midwest Mecca of Architecture” in 2012, and was thus thrilled to attend Richard McCoy’spresentation on the subject. The town of 44,000 residents boasts 7 of Indiana’s 35 National Historic Landmarks. 6 were designed between 1942 – 1965, when Cummins Inc. elected to pay all architect fees for new civic structures, attracting the likes of Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Richard Meier, I.M. Pei, Harry Weese, Henry Moore, and Dale Chihuly, to name a few. Construction of schools, churches, parks, and office buildings was founded on the principle that the built environment is crucial to a quality community.
McCoy has been tasked with forming a preservation plan to preserve Columbus’ architectural wealth, while not restricting the town’s ability to grow and thrive within its historic landscape. His talk, retitled “The Columbus Challenge”, discussed the initial stages of guiding the town- and its residents- into a new way of caring for its cultural heritage. What is the goal? To create a preservation process for historic architecture, landscaping, and public art located within the Columbus Arts District. The plan should be: useful and fun, foster community, educate, raise and distribute funds, and provide for a sustainable future. How? First, put information in highly visible places. As McCoy states: “If you can’t Google it and get back good information, then it doesn’t exist”. Actions:Wikipedia inventories of landmarks, modern and historic buildings, public art, as well as architect biographies were published. Public artworks were also made accessible on The Public Art Archive and CultureNOW’s Museum Without Walls. Several previously undocumented artworks were ‘discovered’, and a total of 440 building entries were recorded during the inventory process. Next steps: Develop stakeholder support and engagement, as well as connect with allied organizations, understanding that all answers to a preservation policy must originate from- and be sustained by- the community itself. Your next step: Visit Columbus. Take a tour and then eat ice cream at Zaharakos’ (est. 1900) marble counter.
In this talk, Sarah Reidell gave a detailed description of her treatment of an album of 19th century paintings on mica from the New York Public Library collection.
Her treatment steps included:
Hows and whys – background research
Stabilize – consolidation
Digitize – high quality files
Accessorize – new archival mats and housings
Publicize – increase awareness to researchers/public/staff
The albums had red buckram, generally indicating NYPL bindery work, and perhaps also associated with the WPA. There were two volumes of albums, Volume I was opaque watercolors on mica, and Volume II was watercolor on European and Indian papers. Mica is a material that is used in make-up and the mining industry. It is chemically inert, stable, and somewhat flammable. It is a cheap substitute for colored glass and lanterns.
They started the project in 2007 by removing the papers from the acidic album paper using traditional paper conservation techniques. This revealed ink inscriptions on the verso of the watercolors. Once digitized, these were encapsulated and housed in boxes and also on the NYPL online gallery. There were 29 pages total with 135 mica paintings. The full extent of the damage was now clear.
Reidell stated that since she is not a paintings conservator or an objects conservator, her aim was stabilization for future exhibition. The mica paintings were marketed for westerners, and the Victoria and Albert Museum and British Library have large holdings of mica paintings. The NYPL mica paintings had catastrophic media condition because the mica was damaged. None of the conventional paper techniques were suitable. Reidell used PLM and known McCrone samples to confirm that it was mica and not cellulose nitrate.
Relative humidity and temperature fluctuations were apparent in the albums and mica paintings. There was paint on the verso to create shadows and there was major media loss and damage to the lining and mica. Reidell tried cast fills using B-72, which didn’t work because it was not even and trapped dust. In-painting was also not an option because there was too much damage and loss. Consolidation with an ultrasonic mister did not work because everything was water-soluble. The damage was extensively documented and the works were put in temporary mats. Due to a previous mounting, the versos had even more damage. After testing JunFunori, Isinglass, methyl cellulose, Paraloid B-72, and Aquazol, Aquazol was chosen. Aquazol’s refractive index was the closest to the mica and various types of Aquazol were used for consolidation of large flakes, wetting out cupped or lifted flakes, and general consolidation and cohesion. B-72 was used for adhering large flakes of mica together.
The work flow consisted of using Excel for notes, copies of slides to color-map (using different colors for different adhesives, and silicon shapers to hold down flakes. After consolidation, the paper linings were removed and worked under the microscope on a Teflon-coated board. To repair the mica, BEVA 371 was used for fills and B-72 was used for complex tears.
After treatment, the paintings were digitized before mounting. Mounting was a challenge because Reidell needed to determine how to mount the paintings without messing up the micas but still enabling access. BEVA 371 film was attached Mylar-to-Mylar. BEVA 371 was used because it is pre-made, has a consistent thickness, and is fast. A silicone-coated Mylar barrier was used because it left no cloudy surface, unlike silicone-release paper barrier.
Finally, the project was publicized on social media and reached over 550,000 people through twitter, Instagram, Vine vidoes, and much more!
The National Archives is the official government archives of the UK and Wales. The Archives has two buildings: Q1, a building built in 1978 with three main repositories in three floors, and Q2, a newer building built in 1996 with twelve repositories over four floors.
Ntanos started by looking into records from 1973-75 to see the decision-making of how the Q1 building was designed. During this time from 1973-75, the staff discussed the requirements of environmental control and determined that temperature was more important than relative humidity and felt that if you kept temperature at mid-range, the RH would be controlled, too! Seven to eight years of mold growth prompted investigation into this building. Intensive climate-mapping was done using data loggers to determine the differences in the environment, and they saw a big difference between the center of the room (50-55%) and the ends of the room (70%).
Ntanos also used environmental assessment permanence maps to demonstrate how the environment changes through the year (he gave a poster at this AIC meeting on the mapping of material types). Once they had collected 1-2 years of information, they started making changes.
They used Energy Plus Software and put in as much information as possible about the environment and the building. They also used HAMT (Humidity and Moisture Transfer) and saw a difference with and without HAMT because of the large collection of hygroscopic material. The aim of the model was to examine options in maintaining a sustainable preservation environment for the collection. They were able to reduce energy consumption in line with sustainability targets, build resilience in light of climate change predictions, and inform ongoing capital investment. Powering down the HVAC over the weekend saved up 22% without affecting the preservation environment.
Ms. Kawasumi Lewis presented research conducted at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston during her third year internship. This project was joint with the National Gallery of Art’s Platinum/Palladium initiative. She was happy to close the conference with this talk, as it could serve as a teaser for the upcoming Platinum/Palladium Symposium.
Ms. Kawasumi Lewis had the unique opportunity to compare platinum prints in the MFAH collection to a platinum print sample set produced by Kodak c.1902-1910, owned by a private collector. The Kodak sample set is a great resource for this study because it was commercially produced and each product has been identified on the object. She hoped that characterizing these known samples would help identify unknowns, particularly artwork in the museum’s collection. To test this, she compared the Kodak sample set to a small group of prints in the MFAH collection. She used a variety of analytical techniques to narrow down the possibilities, finally resulting in a close match with one print in the collection: Lucille Tomajon, by Gertrude Käsebier.
Ms. Kawasumi Lewis presented this research in a systematic approach, showing us how each analytical method helped narrow down the field of possible matches. Each step ruled out some of the sample set and the MFAH group.
To begin, she led us through a bit of the chemistry of platinum printing, which is a semi-printing out process. Significant to the research, she detailed that an artist could add mercury in either of two distinct steps – sensitizer or developer. For greater effect, mercury could be added in both steps. Starting in the 1880s, mercury was added to commercially available papers. Palladium paper and platinum/palladium mixtures were also available.
Ms. Kawasumi Lewis described the analytical steps that helped her find affinities between the sample set and photographs in the collection. Comparison included: date, thickness, sheen, texture, color, and elemental composition. Ten platinum prints by Clarence White, Gertrude Käsebier, Fredrick Evans and others were chosen from the MFAH’s collection of pictorialist photographs as a comparison group.
First, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) was used to determine the elemental composition of the prints. Readings were collected from Dmax and Dmin areas using a Bruker handheld Tracer, and an Artex XRF unit. XRF data was analyzed using the counts from the instrument, which were normalized according to the Rh Kα line. In addition to platinum, mercury, palladium and lead were found in the prints. Some trends were identified: Mercury was abundant, though variable, so this required more investigation; palladium was present in several of the Kodak samples, but only one of the MFAH prints. This narrowed down the field a bit, ruling out the Kodak samples with palladium.
In order to determine if mercury variability was due to differences in the time of addition (sensitizer or developer), Ms. Kawasumi Lewis created mockups using a variety of methods described in the literature. She found that her mercury sensitized sample was most similar to the Kodak sample prints and most of the MFAH platinum prints. Not surprisingly mercury levels were highest in prints that had been sensitized and developed with mercury. This narrowed down the group a bit more by ruling out MFAH prints with high levels of mercury.
Next, surface texture was analyzed using Paul Messier’s texture scope and experimental design. This step helped to narrow down the list further by comparing the descriptions of surface (i.e. smooth, rough), to the MFAH prints. This further reduced the possibilities, so the field of possible matches was limited to only a few prints.
As the final step, Ms. Lewis used color to narrow down her final group of prints using a spectrophotometer to quantify red and yellow saturation. (As a note of caution, she mentioned that the color of platinum can be effected by more than just choice of paper. Temperature during processing, ageing and other factors can change the color of prints.) This narrowed her group down to just the Käsebier and the sample for Kodak Etching Sepia Smooth paper. This is strong evidence that Käsebier used this paper to create the print because the prints are alike in elemental composition, texture and color.
More research could help definitively characterize the paper Käsebier used for this print, but Ms. Kawasumi Lewis’ work gives us a good indication of the materials used by the artist.
In this presentation, I was looking forward to learning about the approaches that are taken in the preservation and conservation of modern built heritage.
Lacey Bubnash (Architectural Conservator at Architectural Resources Group) and Katie Horak (Senior Associate at Architectural Resources Group and Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Architecture, University of Southern California) shared their experience of preservation planning for The Village Green, also known as the Baldwin Hills Village, in Los Angeles.
Built in 1941-1942, the Village Green is a modern housing complex that includes residential buildings (today occupied as condos) with garages, community structures, such as a clubhouse and maintenance building, and large open spaces. The complex was designed with the idea of providing affordable housing for the pre-World War II community. On this account, inexpensive and mass-produced materials were used to construct the complex.
In their presentation, Lacey spoke about the site documentation that she and Katie prepared and reviewed during this phase, including the Historic Structure Report and Cultural Landscape Report respectively. These reports identify challenges for the site’s preservation and conservation, such as the presence of mid-century modern materials, and include recommendations for preservation and conservation treatments.
Lacey also presented about the application that she and Katie submitted for the Village Green’s inclusion in the Mills Act Property Tax Abatement Program. This Program is a financial incentive for historic preservation in California. It binds the participating city and the property owner in a contract that sees the reduction in property taxes in return for the property owner’s restoration and maintenance of the property. Their application was successful in obtaining a Mills Act designation for the Village Green.
I found this presentation to be a very interesting glimpse into the planning and preparations for the preservation and conservation of built heritage. I enjoyed learning about the process involved in such a large and multifaceted project – encompassing both built structures and designed landscapes – that bears the additional challenges of dealing with modern design concepts and materials.
The theme of this year’s Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group was “Options for Sustainable Practice in Conservation”, which tasked speakers to examine how conservators could lessen the carbon footprint of conservation work. Speakers included Brian Baird, from Bridgeport National Bindery, Danielle Creech of ECS Conservation, Julie Newton from Emory University, and Marieka Kaye of the University of Michigan Libraries. The speaker line-up was notably diverse, in that it included speakers from commercial binderies as well as those from labs within academic libraries.
Brian Baird had some good points about why conservators and labs should focus more on reducing waste, rather than just relying on recycling, to lessen their carbon footprint. For instance, recycling some items, such as ink cartridges, doesn’t do much good – the cartridges are shipped to China, where they remove the last few drops of ink, and the plastic cartridges still end up in the landfills. His ultimate take-away lesson was that no recycling program can be as efficient or cost-effective as simply reducing consumption of materials.
Slide from Brian Baird’s talk.
Danielle Creech spoke about the various iterations of ECS Conservation’s recycling program. Over the years, they’ve recycled everything from linotype and monotype waste, old equipment, old book covers, shrink-wrap packaging, and paper dust. They built a relationship with their County Solid Waste Management District, who helped partner them with a business-to-business recycling business called Quincy Recycling. With each iteration of their recycling program, ECS had to come up with creative solutions to reduce consumption as well as find ways to recycle various types of materials. Danielle made a very important point that recycling is NOT free, as it requires time and labor to train employees in the proper recycling procedures. She also mentioned that they have noticed some “recycling fatigue”, as employees constantly have to remember which of the 17 recycling barrels should be used for different kinds of waste.
Slide from Danielle Creech’s talk, showing a horse enjoying its new bed of paper dust, courtesy of her bindery’s recycling program.
Marieka Kaye outlined how both the library and her lab play a large part in promoting sustainability in the overall University of Michigan community, via the Library Green Team program. This program encompasses more than just recycling bins, by providing avenues for both staff and students to creatively reduce consumption as well as reuse materials within the library. For instance, their library staff intranet has a Craigslist-style office furniture swap listing, and the library sells reusable water bottles which can be used with the recently-installed water-bottle refill stations. In the conservation lab, they replaced the incandescent bulbs in the overhead lights with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.
Julie Newton started her talk off with the statement that “a box of lab scraps is a hundred tiny art projects waiting to happen”, which will resonate with anyone who loves to collage or make other types of paper-based art. Through her vigorous efforts, Julie was able to extend the life of many materials before they went into the recycling bins. She noted that while conservators are usually very frugal with their materials, such as Japanese tissue, they tend to be less frugal with more plebian materials such as box-making board or paper towels. She encouraged her staff to re-use scraps in creative ways, either within the lab or outside of it. She also acknowledged that you do have to ask yourself on occasion if the effort and time it takes to accumulate and repurpose scrap is worth it, versus just getting new materials. Making scrap useful is again, not a “free” activity, as it requires staff time to sort and organize it in a useful way. Slide from Julie Newton’s presentation, showing how conservators can find uses for even the tiniest scraps of Japanese tissue.
I’ve made a list of the some of my favorite creative uses for scraps and “waste” that were presented by these speakers:
Several thousand pounds of paper dust were repurposed as horse bedding when it was donated to an Amish farm by ECS.
Excess rubber bands were donated by ECS to a teacher in Indiana, who is trying to break the record for the largest continuous rubber band ball.
Some materials can be composted, such as paper towels, old paste, used tea bags.
Scraps of board and paper can be donated to schools or local art programs and clubs.
All in all, the speakers acknowledged that recycling and reducing consumption requires some effort and staff time, but in the end it can make a big difference by improving the environment and providing a positive impact on our society. In addition, contributing to sustainability efforts helps strengthen our relationship with our surrounding community, by forging partnerships with local businesses and environmental groups.
What creative solutions for repurposing “waste” or reducing material consumption has YOUR lab undertaken? Share them in the comments!
Janka Krizanova’s fascinating talk on her work with the Diane Arbus Archives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City provided an overview of the first eight months of her two-year-long research scholarship. The Diane Arbus Archives contains 600 vintage prints, 800 work prints, 6,200 rolls of film, 6,500 contact sheets, and the artist’s library and equipment. Krizanova’s goals for the project are to characterize the materials in the archive, assess the stability of materials in the collection, create a long term plan for the preservation of the archives, and create guidelines for the exhibition of materials in the collection.
In her research, Krizanova examined:
• technical and historical literature on 20th century photography
• manuals and books of samples of photographic papers issued by the industry (in addition to Paul Messier’s Historic Photographic Papers Collection)
• other characterization studies, such as that on the Thomas Walther Collection at the Museum of Modern Art
Krizanova began her study by conducting a survey of the collection. She found that Arbus’ body of contact prints had the widest variety of photographic processes and the most varied condition states. Arbus worked primarily with silver gelatin prints, but also utilized the stabilization process for contact sheets and temporary proofs, as these prints were much faster to process than silver gelatin prints. However, they were not designed to be long lasting. An image from Krizanova’s talk: an advertisement for “The Kodak Ektamatic 214 Processor”. The image was scanned from a postcard, purchased by Krizanova from: http://www.delcampe.net/page/item/id,0224814815,language,E.html
Stabilization prints are made by using a special photographic paper with an incorporated developer. Arbus used Kodak Ektamatic Paper (boxes of which are housed in the archives). A negative in an enlarger is used to expose the paper, which is then fed into the processer. It first passes through an alkali bath, which activates the developer in the paper. The paper then moves directly into an acidic stabilization solution, which complexes the unexposed silver. This silver is “stabilized”, but not fixed. The whole process is over in a matter of seconds. In addition to describing this photographic process, Krizanova discussed the intriguing condition issues seen in the collection, including spotting, darkening, lightening caused by applied pressure, and discoloration even when stored in an ambient room environment. Krizanova is working on establishing a set of terms to describe the condition issues presented.
The technical characterization of some of the silver gelatin and stabilization prints will involve:
• Measuring paper thickness
• Documenting printing on the verso
• Microscopic documentation of the surface texture
• XRF in the D-max and D-min areas
• UV examination
• Paper fiber sampling
• Spectrophotometric measurements
• Microfadometer readings
Krisanova has begun the first four categories of characterization. I really look forward to hearing the results of her work and her characterizations of the interesting and complicated condition issues seen in the stabilization prints.
Here are two excellent questions asked (and answered) at the end, loosely paraphrased:
Q: Will you fix and wash the stabilization prints?
A: No, they are to be preserved as is.
Q: Would you consider freezing the stabilization prints in an attempt to preserve them?
A: No one is doing that right now, as far as anyone knows. Currently, it is not an option for us, but we will certainly address this question again later in the study.
