Photograph Conservation Fellows and Interns

Physical Properties of Various Conservation Adhesives and Adhesive Mixtures

During her Research Scholar fellowship, Cat conducted research related to the conservation of photograph albums and photographically illustrated books. Cat researched the physical properties of various conservation adhesives and adhesive mixtures, to determine which may be the most suitable for repairing albums, scrapbooks, and other moderately fragile books. She and Georgia Southworth, Associate Conservator for Books, worked on an ongoing preservation survey of over 1,000 photograph-bearing books held by the Department of Photographs. Cat performed conservation treatments on a selection of these albums and books and assisted the Department conservators with exhibitions and preservation activities.

Conservation and Acquisition Process for Time-Based Media Artworks

During their one-year fellowship, Kayla focused on the conservation and acquisition process for time-based media artworks. Kayla contributed to identity reports and iteration reports for time-based media artworks, as well as produced condition reports. They also contributed time to other activities related to the exhibition of time-based media artworks. Their time was spent working together with Jonathan Farbowitz, Associate Conservator of Time-Based Media, and Felice Robles, Conservation Intern.

Adapting Preventive Care Best Practices in the Context of a Multiple Risk Zone

During her time at The Met, Rachel acquired hands-on experience in many aspects of photograph conservation. Notably, she investigated how best practices can be adapted in the context of a multiple risk zone such as Lebanon, where conservation quality materials are not manufactured, and where the ongoing economic collapse has made importing materials a daunting and expensive prospect for all collections. Rachel researched alternative designs and materials for preservation housings using locally-sourced cardboards and a range of plastics and barrier films primarily used in the food packaging industry. These findings aim to support cultural heritage collections worldwide.

Gaining Experience in Photograph and Photograph Album Conservation

Cat focused on preventive conservation and caring for photograph albums. She spent much of her time assisting Georgia Southworth, Associate Conservator for Books, with a survey of over 1,000 albums in The Met's Department of Photographs. Cat performed conservation treatments on several of these albums, and assisted conservators with exhibition activities, including condition reports, gallery installations, and routine light level monitoring. She and Rachel Tabet, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow, also contributed to several ongoing preservation projects, including integrated pest management, and the rehousing of a collection of glass plate negatives by the photographer E.J. Bellocq.

Potential Methods for Monitoring Silver Mirroring on Photographs

While visible in specular light, the subtly reflective nature of silver mirroring is notoriously difficult to capture using current documentation methods. This makes monitoring its progression after exhibition or time in storage nearly impossible. During her Fellowship, Bryanna investigated using a glossmeter, spectrophotometer, and imaging techniques to track metallic silver particle accumulation on photographic surfaces over time. Her research aims to establish repeatable documentation protocols that can help improve the longevity and legibility of mirrored works in photographic collections. This approach involves comparison of measurements against a baseline, providing a data-driven basis to inform display and loan.

Long-term Management and Documentation Practices for Software-Based Artworks

The conservation of software-based artworks in necessitates continuous management and care of a complex artwork system including digital files, equipment, and artist-provided documentation. Caroline supported the long-term management and storage of time-based media artworks in the Met’s collection. She contributed to an audit of digital artwork components, and by updating TMS database records with distilled information culled from artists' interviews, installation instructions, and original research. As a continuation of her prior work at MoMA, Caroline focused her attention on Philippe Parreno’s With a Rhythmic Instinction to be Able to Travel Beyond Existing forces of Life and Jim Campbell’s Motion and Rest #2.

Developing Policies and Procedures for the Conservation of Time-based Media at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This project focused on developing policies, workflows, legal contracts, and documentation templates for the acquisition, exhibition, and preservation of time-based media (TBM) at The Met. Nichols worked closely with Nora Kennedy, Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge, as well as with conservation and curatorial colleagues across the museum, Legal Counsel, IS&T, Digital, Registrar, and Exhibition Design. She researched and identified improvements to The Met’s infrastructure for the care of digital art and assisted with the TBM Conservation Assessment, which advocated for resources to support the conservation and preservation of these artworks in the collection. Read more.

The E. J. Bellocq Negatives

This fellowship focused on the study and conservation of 88 glass plate negatives by Ernest J. Bellocq (1873–1949), which depict women of Storyville, New Orleans’ red-light district, at the turn of the 20th century. Archival research, thorough examination, and scientific analyses deepened our understanding of the gelatin glass plates’ manufacture and the post-processing. The identification of applied media on the negatives offered insights into the now-lost original prints. Finally, lifting emulsion on some of the negatives was stabilized using treatment techniques adapted to the specific characteristics of each object. The plates were rehoused in custom-made preservation housings allowing safe access in the Department of Photographs. Read more.

Characterization of Photographs in the Diane Arbus Archive

The Met’s Department of Photographs became the permanent repository of The Diane Arbus Archive in 2007. These holdings include the artist's photographs and negatives, personal library, equipment, and ephemera. This project focused on characterizing photographic papers used by Arbus. It included collecting technical data such as sheet dimensions, paper thickness measurements, documentation of back printing and surface topography, and color and gloss measurements, and carrying out paper fiber analysis on both historic photographic paper samples and photographs from the collection. These findings broaden our understanding of Arbus’ materials and the efficacy of these testing methods. Read more.

Measuring Color Change in Photographs

This two-year fellowship investigated how exhibition and storage affect the appearance of photographs by measuring color changes over time using a spectrophotometer. Building on 1999 baseline data collected by Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Photograph Conservation, Dana Hemmenway, new measurements were taken on the same photographs and analyzed to assess changes over the past decade. Color changes are irreversible, and these analyses helped to quantify these color shifts, evaluate the methods used to monitor color change, and ultimately, inform focused monitoring and exhibition policies for the future. The ongoing color monitoring program in the Department continues to inform storage, exhibition, and loan decisions. Read more.

Effectiveness of Anoxia Applied to Autochrome Plates on Exhibition

The dyes used in autochromes are extremely sensitive to light. Typical exhibition conditions can cause rapid and irreversible fading, precluding exhibition of original plates. This research studied the response of autochrome dyes to light under low oxygen conditions, an approach not previously explored for this specific application. Samples were made from historic recipes and exposed to light in both a normal oxygen and low-oxygen (argon) environments. After light exposure and color measurements, results demonstrated significantly reduced fading in low oxygen, though not complete protection from deterioration. This research enabled the short-term display of original plates under specific low-oxygen conditions. Read more.

The Burgeoning Initiative to Save Southworth & Hawes Daguerreotypes

A whitish haze was noted on several Southworth & Hawes daguerreotypes after they were exhibited together in 2005-2006. In collaboration with the Department of Scientific Research, Meller used Raman spectroscopy and FTIR spectroscopy in reflection mode to analyze The Met's daguerreotypes. The haze was identified as silver chloride, which is light sensitive in the UV-visible wavelength range and thus, can form metallic silver deposits on a daguerreotype surface. While the source and formation of the silver chloride was not determined, these findings have informed improved exhibition and preservation practices. Read more.

The Deterioration of Paul Strand’s Satista Prints

During the most exceptional period of his career around 1916, Paul Strand produced a small group of photographs on Satista paper, a commercial silver-platinum paper. While his platinum prints maintain their rich densities and broad ranges of tone, several of Strand's Satista prints have deteriorated as manifested by fading, orange-yellow discoloration, and the appearance of fingerprints. The goal of this study was to investigate the photographic papers used by Strand and to determine how and why the appearance of the Satista papers has changed through deterioration. Read more.

Setting up a Baseline Color Monitoring Program for Photographs

The fellowship established a baseline color monitoring program for artworks in The Met's collection of photographs. The appearance of photographs can be irreversibly altered by prolonged exposure to visible and UV wavelengths. A representative group of 100 photographs from the Museum's holdings was selected, spanning photographic processes, ages, condition, and exhibition histories. Baseline color measurements were taken using a densitometer and spectrophotometer, providing data with which to compare subsequent measurements to assess the type and degree of change incurred by a photograph over time. This study supports The Met's ongoing preventive conservation efforts.