Peter Krause ha fallecido

Date: 21 Jan 2011
From: Barbara N. Brown
Subject: A death

We only recently learned the sad news of the death of Peter Krause, who was truly one of our Pioneers of Photography.

Peter Krause, age 91, died in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday, August 25, 2010. Born March 10, 1919, in Vienna, Austria, he came to the United States in 1938 with his siblings to join his father, his mother having died when Peter was quite young. Drafted when the US entered World War II, Peter served as a Technical Sergeant in the US Army Air Corps Geodetic Control Squadron until the end of the war. He spent his career in the photographic industry, beginning in
Binghamton, NY at Agfa-Ansco, Co. and then moving to Ciba, where he became President of Ilford, USA.

Reviewing Peter's career takes us through an important era in the history of photography. He was the Assistant Technical Director of Pavelle Color, Inc. in 1946 to 1954. He then worked at Ansco in Binghamton, NY (which later became GAF) as Manager of Quality Control and Technical Services, then Director of Manufacturing, and General Manager of the European Operations in 1954 to 1968. Finally, Peter joined Ciba (later Ciba-Geigy) that acquired Ilford, Ltd. to become President of Ilford, Inc.

He retired ten years later in 1978, although this was not the end of his professional contributions. After leaving Ilford, Peter became a consultant in the photographic industry, working for all the major manufacturers and was well known in particular for his work on color stability and conservation. He consulted regularly for major art museums, periodically wrote columns for Modern Photography, and Popular Photography, and was a founding co-editor of Photofinishing
News. His editing acumen extended to the journal, Photographic Science and Engineering, one of the past technical journals of the Society of Photographic Scientists and Engineers (SPSE); later, the Society for Imaging Science & Technology (IS&T). He was also an
active member of several ANSI (American National Standards Institute) committees as well as ISO (International Standards Organization) working groups.

In the field of photograph conservation, he was a frequent source of information especially with regard to color photographs. Few people knew more about Cibachrome/Ilfochrome materials and technology, and chromogenic color technology than Peter. He is well known for his role as technical advisor when National Geographic had an outbreak of redox blemishes among their autochrome plates in the mid-1980s. For more information see Krause, P. "Preservation of Autochrome Plates in the Collection of the National Geographic Society," Journal of Imaging Science 29(5): 182-192 (1985).)

Peter served as an excellent source of information for conservators over many years. His research, vast knowledge, and engaging presence inspired many emerging conservators. In thanks and recognition for his long relationship with and contributions to the photography community and photograph conservation, PMG honored Peter Krause at the 2007 Rochester joint Winter Meeting of PMG and ICOM-CC Photographic Materials Working Group.

An avid tennis player and skier, Peter also was active in civic life, serving on the school board of Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, NJ for many years. Peter is survived by
his wife of 53 years, Joan Krause of Clearwater, Florida, and his four children and their spouses, and four grand-children and two great-grand-children, as well as by nieces and nephews and their families. His parents and his three siblings preceded him in death.

At Peter's request, no services were held. Memorial contributions can be made to St Jude's Children Hospital. For those of you who would like to send a card to his widow, Joan, know that it would be greatly appreciated. She would treasure hearing about Peter and his influence on so many.

Joan Krause
Regency Oaks Boulevard
Apt. M202
Clearwater, FL 33759
joan.krause [at] yahoo__com

Deepest condolences to Joan Krause and family,

Barbara Brown,
Chair - AIC Photographic Materials Group

With contributions from Doug Nishimura, Nora Kennedy, Debbie Hess
Norris, and Joan Krause and family