Conserving one of the oldest photographs in MoMA's collection | CONSERVATION STORIES
Tarnish is slowly engulfing one of the oldest objects in MoMA's collection, a daguerreotype from 1842 capturing two separate images-the Arch of Septimius Severus and Capitoline Lion in the Roman Forum. Within two years of the invention of photography, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, a French aristocrat, assembled a team to travel the Mediterranean and make over a thousand images of the region’s cities, people, and ruins. These early daguerreotypes projected images directly onto silver plates, like a mirror imprinting a reflection onto its polished surface. Akin to Polaroids, they were unique photographic objects that offered no convenient method of replication.
In our second episode of Conservation Stories, Lee Ann Daffner, MoMA’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Conservator, explores the sensitive chemistry of removing tarnish from early photographic images. “There’s a real art and science to the cleaning,” Daffner explains. “Not only do you have to know the systems and materials and types of deterioration, but you need to know when to stop.”
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The comments and opinions expressed in this video are those of the speaker alone, and do not represent the views of The Museum of Modern Art, its personnel, or any artist.
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KZreads algorithms of me watching Baumgartner, got me here.
Being a middle school teacher I am struck with the serenity of her job.
She sounds so thoughtful and intelligent and UGH, her hair is gorgeous!
I love looking at early photographs! Though I love the paintings of the period, photography shows the actual person. It’s a moment in time that will never happen again but that moment is somewhat preserved.
1:17 the god damned camel moved...Sacré bleu!!
These videos are so, SO frickin cool. Bravo to MOMA for putting out this series in anticipation for the reopening. Please continue!
I have a question when removing the polyester in many years from now. What are the chances that the particles stick to the polyester rather than stay on the silver plate?
Great wisdom in deciding if you can't absolutely restore something, and might actually lose some of the picture in the process, then to leave it alone. There may be a solution in the future where damaging an image today can never be undone.
I recently saw a photo like this and was amused at how, when looking from different angles (or with lighter/darker objects reflecting in the “mirror” perhaps?) the image appears to shift between positive and negative.
That was a really wonderful description of a photographic process and the conservation process. A subject that could become incredibility boring was made interesting by Lee Ann Daffner. Great voice. There was also an element of danger in watching her handle the print. surprisingly entertaining.
How do you become a conservator? like what degree do you need?
Those photos have better graphics than most video games nowadays
I have a huge respect for these professionals who keep the fragile past conserved
Excellent! She really knows her stuff! A pleasure to learn about the process.
Where I work underground are thousands of audio recordings and old photos are preserved.
I love conserving old photographs
Bwahahahah, I thumbed this up intuitively not knowing it would, beside being interesting, touch on a subject that is a pet peeve of mine: bloody silver tarnishing.
If MomA videos were subtitled, their access in Brazil would be very large.
Very interesting to learn more about early photography through conservation.
omg conservation we stan
The guy who took the photo kind of looks like Rob Schneider
TY for making this vid. I studied photography @ Pratt and @ NYU. This video is really nice to see. And if y'all remeber A Photographers Place I worked there too. Harvey did dags. And we sold a lot of them.
But where did she get that scalpel handle? It looks like a carved wooden braid. I want one!
Love this video, learned quite a bit. Definitely a thumbs up. (Why wear gloves if you're going to touch your hair? I've worked in labs, even touching your hair once is too much)
This is an absolute dream job for me!
Silver and sulfur - a love story.
She’s a lovely woman. She was obviously loves her job.
we have a hundred year old family portrait that's printed onto a 15x12 inch frame probably from a certain field camera with over a hundred people in it.. in a garden - because of the age it's difficult to recognize whom is who unless it goes maybe through a studio copier but probably wont bring out any more detail
Sulphur and silver, still a better love story than Twilight
This is real work. Bravo
Silver is a "pure" metal. It was used in both photography (either a deguerreotype or the silver nitrate used in development of b+w pix) and as the backing of mirrors. This is why I never used to cast a reflection, or appear in photos. Modern mirrors are made of aluminum, and photos are (mostly) digital nowadays, so no problem.
each of these videos is so captivating....
Thank you for sharing this video. Very interesting and informative.
Why didn't they enclose it into an airtight frame, possibly utilizing an inert gas or a vacuum?
I have SO many from the American civil war era.
It looks just like one of the Lions that guard Nelsons Column in Trafalgar Square in London to me.
What a cool job.
Randomly stumbled upon this video...thank you @KZread
Thank you.
Thanks 👍
This is for my Art Appreciation class. I have to visit a gallery but due to covid I have the choice to watch these videos, which sounds much easier to do than work in my busy schedule a live visit.
Could he not get that camel to stand still for 2.38 minutes? Fabulous Video, thanks.
With absolutely ZERO knowledge regarding this field... I wonder, why not vacuum seal it?
I have much respect for the work that you do Mrs Daffner but I have two questions!! One: Shouldn't you be wearing a mask when talking in front of such sensitive photographs considering micro droplets of saliva could affect these artworks chemically??? Two: Were these Daguerreotypes digitally scanned in super high resolution in case anything happens to them in the future?? Keep up the great work!!
MoMA, Would enveloping the plate in an inert gas such as Argon or Krypton be beneficial to ensuring longevity of the image by limiting exposure to atmospheric oxidation and contamination?
What is the piece in the background? Love that music.
The adhesive on the tape, does it contain sulfur?
Not really any conservation but I still appreciate it!
is the glass light filtering?
Someone explain to me how she got this job. Like what did she go to school for? What experience was needed etc? Thanks very interested
Amazing
Awesome
I hope they did some kind of highrez scan of these
Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey looks an awful lot like a classy Rob Schneider.
when she says "24 centimeter exactly" 😭
Why is there no credit or identification of the compositions and performing artist of the music ?
Wow
He looks like Rob Schneider :P
Why not flood the case environment with argon or another Inert gas?
No camera sensor we invent will ever have higher resolution than light being focused through a lens right onto a medium.
00:38 Rob Schneider is that you???????
Do you make a copy with modern technology ?
she looks like Judy Garland
Are these daguerreotype digitized?
What a G
There was no information about the cleaning method and materials alluded to.
Shit is crazy detailed. Also how the FUCK do these guys come up with this shit
If you like this, check out Baumgartner's channel for painting restorations
Where does one got to school for this?
He looks like Rob Schneider
Imagine she drops it by mistake....
did they at least mount it on an axle so the observer could turn it over and see the other exposure?
Okay but why does he look like Rob Schneider?
I can't believe that work was done under bright light instead of in a dimmed, temperature controled room.
Borosilicate glass is what's used for the best smoking apparatuses.
ALUMINUM
Why is she handling these things without gloves until almost 5 1/2 minutes in?
I would have suggest not plastic under the glass, because the additional reflections are disturbing. Further I would have created a sealed glass box full of nitrogen, in which the object resides, or in addition if the object is actually giving off some chemical that is self destructive, some sort of neutralizing agent. Sealing it up seals whatever it emits in.
Maybe in 50-200 yrs other better technologies will be developed
2:11 - is this postmodernism?
Is it just me, or does Prangey look a lot like Rob Schneider?
but if these “photo’s” were taken in Europe.....how did it get in the USA?
Why not seal it in a container filled with a gas that wont cause it to tarnish, if it even exists
...until some idiot smashes into it with a selfie stick...
Daguerreotypes are not prints they are plates.
Fascinating! Two things I don't understand - 1: why have that dreadful "music" constantly in the background and 2: why do you Americans insist on wrongly pronouncing aluminium as "aliminem"?
Would be more interesting to bleach and redevelop it
what if you find out later that your Cutie Felty Purplely Blocky Blockies are harmful to whatever you can invent on the spot in that particular moment miss human resources conserving lady? pan.....?....oh the m is silent. like calm.
The glass looks poor, why would I be seeing reflections of window light off of museum glass?
this was not conservation.
I just didn't get the impression that all that was necessary..
These videos are so, SO frickin cool. Bravo to MOMA for putting out this series in anticipation for the reopening. Please continue!