Luis Nadeau (nadeaul@nbnet.nb.ca)
Fri, 12 Feb 1999 15:48:31 -0400
At 9:57 AM 99/02/12, Jeffrey D. Mathias wrote:
>Luis Nadeau wrote:
>> ... If permanence is of concern, use pigment
>> processes. They are the most predictable as far permanence goes....
>
>Indeed, this may be your opinion Luis. However, it is miss-informative
>for an author of your stature to make such a blanket statement.
It is my opinion indeed but it is also shared by 100% (I haven't found any
specialist who disagrees) of conservators and curators who have been
studying this subject for the past 25 years or so.
The most recent survey conducted on the subject, by yours truly, took place
over the past couple of years. See the archives of Conservation Dist List
and PhotoHst. My comments are based on the extensive experience of many
people in this field, all over the world.
...
>It is good that many of the historical processes are in use today. The
>materials and techniques employed today have demonstrated the ability to
>render prints from these processes archival with a defining certainty as
>to the predictability of their longevity. It becomes simply a mater of
>carefully selecting the correct materials and procedures
No.
See, for a start, pp. 135-6 of my Pt book (3rd ed.)
>I guess that someone may decide it important to photoengrave the image
>into a piece of platinum or some ceramic material. But even then,
>eventually the sun will go out and burn it all up anyway.
Are you strolling?
European graveyards have thousands of photoceramics on tombstones that have
been facing sunlight and pollution for over 100 years. The sun doesn't even
affect daguerreotypes despite the fact that they are among the most fragile
photographs in existence.
BTW, just this past week I have been consulted by the Image Permanence
Institute (Rochester, NY), the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and
the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in NYC. All customers of mine, among
many others.
What are your references in this field? I don't remember ever seeing your
name in the conservation literature.
Luis Nadeau
NADEAUL@NBNET.NB.CA
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/nadeaul/
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