Spectroscopic characterization of selected French paper negatives (1843-1856): how to see through many processes?

Daher, Céline; Languille, Marie-Angélique; Mondenard, Anne de; Becka, Martin; Garnier, Chantal; Tournié, Aurélie; Aubenas, Sylvie; Lavédrine, Bertrand

doi:10.1016/j.microc.2019.104069

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Interestingly, FTIR-ATR analysis, performed on French paper negatives that were contemporary to Flachéron's work at the Getty Museum and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, only indicated the presence of wax. No resins, neither sandarac nor shellac, were identified on the French paper negatives studied by Kaplan or Daher, respectively [23,24]. This suggests that Flachéron was experimenting with different processes on his paper negatives, given the addition of the layer of sandarac and localized orange shellac to his transparentizing media to adjust his prints.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Frédéric Flachéron’s Paper Negative Process through Experimentation and Specular Reflection FTIR Analysis

Bulat,

Panadero,

Murphy

et al. 2023

Heritage

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Cultural heritage objects present a special set of challenges for chemical analysis. Often micro-sampling or even contacting the object is deemed an unacceptable risk to the object. This study examined if specular reflection FTIR, a non-sampling and non-contact analytical technique, can provide insight into chemical composition of the layered coatings on Frédéric Flachéron’s paper negatives (1848–1852) in the Harrison D. Horblit Collection of Early Photography, in Houghton Library, at Harvard University. Specular reflection FTIR data confirmed the identification of beeswax and sandarac as the transparentizing media on Flachéron’s paper negatives, as previously published by Lee Ann Daffner. However, specular reflection FTIR analysis also indicated that some negatives had additional localized coatings of orange shellac in specific areas of the images. To understand why Flachéron retouched his negatives with orange shellac, modern experimental replications of the paper negative process were performed. Through modern experimentation with the paper negative technique, it was found that Flachéron’s coatings of shellac served as an integral part of his image-altering technique. The color of the orange shellac subtly alters contrast and density, but it does not mask an area the way an opaque watercolor or highly pigmented paint might. The fine adjustments to the negatives with orange shellac were an attempt to perfect the contrast in the print, and better render depth and detail. These discoveries add to a growing body of recent research that points to the historic and art historic importance of negatives and coatings in photography. The specificity with which specular reflection FTIR was able to nondestructively identify the chemical composition of the local coating, and specifically target the analysis on the areas in which it appeared, allowed for an understanding of Flachéron’s use of local coatings as a retouching method rather than a protective coating.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Frédéric Flachéron’s Paper Negative Process through Experimentation and Specular Reflection FTIR Analysis

Bulat,

Panadero,

Murphy

et al. 2023

Heritage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The majority of the above-described factors (variables) can be quantified by employing analytical techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) [9][10][11][12][13][14]. These instrumental techniques were, for instance, successfully employed for the non-destructive [15][16][17] identification of photographs, paintings, and other objects of cultural heritage [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. The energy dose provided by X-ray radiation and utilized by the ED-XRF spectrometer had no noticeable effect on old photographs and paintings if measurements were performed occasionally [24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies on the Authorship of Albumen Vintage Photographs: A Combined Experimental and Chemometric Approach

Adamowska,

Zając,

Sawicki

et al. 2024

Molecules

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The differences in albumen photographs from vintage photographic studios were identified by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results inspired the concept of finding common features characteristic of a given photographic studio. The obtained measurement data (i.e., positions of vibrational bands for characteristic groups of albumen and the mass contents of chosen elements) were analyzed chemometrically by employing the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The PCA technique allowed us to reduce the number of relevant experimental parameters characterizing the unique features of the photographic objects. The two major components were able to distinguish the photographic objects in terms of their authorship and the time to produce a photograph. The method developed was examined for a selected group of photographs consisting of albumen prints from three Polish photographic ateliers. To validate ED-XRF measurements and, consequently, the chemometric findings, reference albumen photo samples were designed and prepared. The empirical functional relationships between the content of photochemically reduced silver particles on the photographic paper and several physicochemical factors, including time of exposure to UV light, AgNO3 concentration in a fixed bath, and concentrations of other additives, were proposed. These results can be used for the prediction of the experimental conditions under which the investigated photographs were developed.

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“…), which is attained using spectroscopic methods [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. In general, to obtain a complete identification of the materials and gain insights into the used photographic processes, a multi-analytical approach might be needed, based on optical, vibrational and X-ray spectroscopies [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Among the possible techniques, optical UV-VNIR spectroscopy implemented as FORS has successfully been used in photography conservation for the fast non-invasive characterization of dyes, as well as for color characterization [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Section: Introduction: Hyperspectral Imaging Lacks In Photography Con...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Transmittance Vis–NIR Hyper-Spectral Imaging Scanner for Analysis of Photographic Negatives: A Potential Tool for Photography Conservation

Cucci

Casini

Stefani

et al. 2023

Sensors

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This work illustrates a novel prototype of a transmittance hyperspectral imaging (HSI) scanner, operating in the 400–900 nm range, and designed on purpose for non-invasive analysis of photographic materials, such as negatives, films and slides. The instrument provides high-quality spectral data and high-definition spectral images on targets of small size (e.g., 35 mm film strips) and is the first example of HSI instrumentation specifically designed for applications in the photographic conservation field. The instrument was tested in laboratory and on a set of specimens selected from a damaged photographic archive. This experimentation, though preliminary, demonstrated the soundness of a technical approach based on HSI for large-scale spectroscopic characterization of photographic archival materials. The obtained results encourage the continuation of experimentation of HSI as an advanced tool for photography conservation.

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Spectroscopic characterization of selected French paper negatives (1843-1856): how to see through many processes?

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Understanding Frédéric Flachéron’s Paper Negative Process through Experimentation and Specular Reflection FTIR Analysis

Understanding Frédéric Flachéron’s Paper Negative Process through Experimentation and Specular Reflection FTIR Analysis

Studies on the Authorship of Albumen Vintage Photographs: A Combined Experimental and Chemometric Approach

A Novel Transmittance Vis–NIR Hyper-Spectral Imaging Scanner for Analysis of Photographic Negatives: A Potential Tool for Photography Conservation

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