Conservation of Photographs

Conservation of Photographs: Significance, Use and Care provides a comprehensive and inclusive overview of theory, research, and practice in the conservation of photograph collections, from the analogue to the digital era.

Including insights from nearly 100 leading international professionals, this book is a tribute to the synergistic advancements in photograph conservation in recent decades. Connecting material, imaging, computational and natural sciences, aesthetics, ethics and philosophy, history, art history, art and cultural context studies, these engaging writings contextualize our photographic heritage and its long-term preservation – past, present, and future. This book explores the philosophical underpinnings and evolution of the field, before moving on to detail innovative methodologies for assessing photographic heritage. The inclusion of material on characterization, imaging and authentication studies, conservation practice, innovation and ethical constraints, as well as on current approaches to effective collections management and preventive care, ensures that this volume is an invaluable resource and important practical reference.

Conservation of Photographs: Significance, Use and Care will spark a collective drive towards a more complete understanding and preservation of the world’s photographic legacy. As such, the volume is useful for scholars, students, and practitioners working in the fields of photography, conservation, art, art history, history, and cultural heritage.

Debra Hess Norris (she/her), Chair Department of Art Conservation, University of Delaware (UD), and Director, the Winterthur/UD Program in Art Conservation since 1997, has authored 45 articles/ book chapters on photographic materials preservation, led preservation initiatives and 160+ workshops worldwide from China to Cuba. She is honored to serve on many national boards and advisory councils. Norris was named a Francis Alison Scholar, UD’s top faculty honor, among treasured awards from the American Institute for Conservation and Heritage Preservation. She has served in many academic leadership positions at UD. (Wilmington, Delaware, USA).

Nora W. Kennedy (she/her) is the Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge of the Photograph Conservation Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, devoted to the conservation of The Met’s photographs, bound volumes, and its time-based media collections. Kennedy is an adjunct faculty member of New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts’ Conservation Center. She has collaborated internationally with conservation colleagues from around the world on numerous initiatives. Kennedy received an MS in art conservation specializing in photographic materials from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Art Conservation. She was awarded a doctor honoris causa from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava, Slovakia. She is a recipient of the University of Delaware Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement, the AIC’s Sheldon and Carolyn Keck Award, and the Hewlett Packard Image Permanence Award.

Bertrand Lavédrine (he/him) holds a Master degree in chemistry and a PhD in Art and Archeology from Paris Sorbonne University. He is professor at the National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France. He was director of the Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (1998-2019) and head of the conservation-training programme at the University of Sorbonne (2002-2007). Bertrand Lavédrine had received the European prize for innovation, the Kraszna-Krauz Photography Book award and he is Knighthood in the Order of Arts and Letters of France.