JENNINGS, KATE. "RESEARCH INTO THE CONSERVATION OF PAPER NEGATIVES."

Abstract

Paper negatives have recently become more generally appreciated by historians, curators and collectors, and are now appearing frequently in exhibitions. In 2001 Hans P. Kraus, Jr., Inc., staged a groundbreaking exhibition British Paper Negatives: 1839-1864, which was accompanied by a scholarly catalogue written by Larry J. Schaaf and Roger Taylor. In March 2002 a significant number of paper negatives were included in the Sotheby’s Paris sale of the Marie-Thérèse and André Jammes collection, and many of these were sold for record prices with several surpassing the $100,000 mark. As these objects rise in importance and value, conservators will increasingly be asked for their opinion with regards to process, condition, treatment, and exhibition guidelines.

The George Eastman House has a collection of approximately 641 paper negatives from a variety of different countries, by both known and unknown photographers including John Shaw Smith, Henri Le Secq, Benjamin Brecknell Turner and Dr. Thomas Keith. The collection provided the perfect opportunity for an in-depth study of these early photographic artifacts which have not been extensively studied. The research focused on aspects of characterization and influences of treatment and exhibition.

An increased knowledge of the physical characteristics of paper negatives is essential to aid identification and develop a better understanding of the effects of treatment and exhibition. The ability of both a compound microscope and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) to distinguish between the variant processes was investigated, particularly to pinpoint the differences between pre- and post- waxed negatives. In order to gain a practical understanding of how treatments affect paper negatives, a series of experiments replicating procedures involving heat, washing and solvents were carried out on facsimile negatives made with popular nineteenth-century recipes. The effects of exhibition lighting were assessed in two ways: monitoring the changes of real-time exhibition on a paper negative by John Shaw Smith on display at the George Eastman House and accelerated light-aging tests on facsimiles carried out at the Image Permanence Institute.

The aim of this research was to provide a more sophisticated understanding of the physical structure of paper negatives and demonstrate changes that could occur as a result of treatment and exhibition.

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Kate Jennings was an ARP fellow from 2001 to 2003. This work is her capstone project. Currently, Kate Jennings is the time-based media conservator at the Tate Gallery in London, UK. The research is a good blend of historic process technology, photograph conservation treatment, and deterioration chemistry.

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