Getty Conservation Institute (GCI). Conservation of Photographic Materials

Conservation of Photographic Materials

Fundamentals of the Conservation of Photographs

	Instructors Tram Vo and Janka Krizanova discuss a damaged photograph with course participants. Photo: Sean Charette, GCI

Beginning in 2008, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), in partnership with two institutions in Slovakia—the Academy of Fine Art and Design (AFAD) in Bratislava, and the Slovak National Library (SNL) in Martin, organized a multi-year projectConservation of Photographs and Photograph Collections for Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe, with the aim to develop the field of photograph conservation in the region. A component of this project was the three-year course Fundamentals of the Conservation of Photographs. 

The didactic materials below were originally developed for the Fundamentals course.

Teaching Note: Fundamentals of the Conservation of Photographs(PDF, 3pp., 217KB)

Bibliography (PDF, 17pp., 238KB) 

Materials for Module 1, 2008
Materials for Module 2, 2009
Materials for Module 3, 2010

MODULE 1

Course Calendar, Module 1 (PDF, 3pp., 152KB) 

Presentation
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (PDF, 8pp., 102KB)

Session Outlines (21)
Introduction to Course and Course Website (PDF, 1p., 127KB)
Introduction to Participants and Collections (PDF, 2pp., 180KB)
Introduction to Science in Art (PDF, 2pp., 147KB)
Microscopic Investigation of Photographs (PDF, 2pp., 156KB)
Introduction to FTIR (PDF, 2pp., 147KB)
Introduction to XRF (PDF, 2pp., 180KB)
Introduction to Cased Photographs with Lab (PDF, 1p., 123KB)
Preservation Priorities (PDF, 2pp., 156KB)
Process ID: Silver Processes with Lab. (PDF, 1p., 139KB)
Process ID: Non-Silver Processes with Lab (PDF, 1p., 139KB)
Photograph Conservation: Past, Present and Future (PDF, 2pp., 180KB)
Process ID: Color Processes with Lab (PDF, 1p., 139KB)
Process ID: Photomechanical Processes (PDF, 1p., 123KB)
Process ID: Digital Processes (PDF, 2pp., 168KB)
Unknown Case Studies Labs (PDF, 1p., 131KB)
Handling Issues and Questions (PDF, 1p., 131KB)
Deteriorations of Photographs (PDF, 2pp., 156KB)
Introduction to Collection Surveys and Condition Reports (PDF, 6pp., 188KB)
Stabilization: Housing and Matting Photographs (PDF, 2pp., 139KB)
Documentation of Photographic Materials (PDF, 2pp., 147KB)
Treatment Issues (PDF, 1p., 123KB)

Distance Mentoring Program, Module 1 (PDF, 2p., 127KB) 

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MODULE 2

Course Calendar, Module 2 (PDF, 2pp., 144KB)

Session Outlines (16)
History of Photograph Conservation, City of Paris Conservation Policy (PDF, 2pp., 123KB)
Photograph Terminology (PDF, 2pp., 127KB)
Participant Presentations: Dissemination Activities (PDF, 2pp., 119KB)
Introduction to Negatives and Negatives (PDF, 2pp., 125KB)
Film Development (PDF, 2pp., 149KB)
Planning Photographic Preservation for Large Collections (PDF, 2pp., 123KB)
Conservation Studies and Treatment Issues for Print Collections (PDF, 2pp., 145KB) 
Condition Reports: Practical Work with a Study Collection (PDF, 2pp., 131KB)
Cyanotype Process Recreation (PDF, 1p., 126KB)
Survey Work and Process Identification (PDF, 2pp., 148KB)
Introduction to Treatments (PDF, 2pp., 141KB) 
Salt Print Process Recreation (PDF, 1p., 114KB)
Platinum/Palladium Process Recreation (PDF, 1p., 114KB)
Gum Print Process Recreation (PDF, 2pp., 122KB) 

Distance Mentoring Program, Module 2 (PDF, 2pp. 131KB)

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MODULE 3

Course Calendar, Module 3 (PDF, 2pp, 147KB)

Session Outline
History of Photograph Conservation (PDF, 3pp., 267KB)

Technical Notes
What is a Photograph? (PDF, 3pp., 127KB)
What was Photography? (PDF, 7pp., 156KB)
Why Conserve Photographs? (PDF, 4pp., 131KB)

Session Outlines (12)
History of the Daguerreotype (PDF, 3pp., 158KB)
Macroclimate: Climate for Archiving - Parameters and Standards (PDF, 2pp., 153KB)
Microclimate: Material for Enclosure, Protective Measure & Cold Storage (PDF, 2pp., 109KB)
Exhibition Issues: Materials and Lighting (PDF, 3pp., 133KB)
Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Recovery / Hands-on Practicum (PDF, 2pp., 135KB)
Session Outline: Guidelines, Reproduction, Digitization Issues (PDF, 1p., 94KB)
Funding and Grants (PDF, 2pp., 167KB)
Photo ID: Cased Photographs (PDF, 1p., 127KB)
Session Outline: Treatments: Surface Cleaning, Adhesives Removal, Fills & In painting, Hands-on Practicum (PDF, 1p., 94KB)
Photo ID: Gelatin (PDF, 1p., 106KB)
Photo ID: Collodion (Matte and Glossy) (PDF, 1p., 111KB)
Photo ID: Albumen, Cyanotype, and Platinotype (PDF, 2pp., 138KB)