Characterizing the Image Forming Particles of Modern Ungilded Daguerreotypes Using XRD and SEM

Ravines, Patrick; Nazarenko, Alexander Y.

doi:10.1017/s1431927619000709

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…In this respect, the characterization of daguerreotypes, conducted mainly at the nano-and micro-scale, exploiting various microscopic methods (e.g. confocal microscopy, SEM-EDS, AFM, and synchrotron-based techniques [7][8][9]) aims at understanding of diverse corrosion phenomena and at supporting restorer during the conservation procedure. The main efforts, conducted at a macro and mesoscale, have focused exclusively on digitization of the photographic image and to its digital recovery when corrosion of the surface is extensive [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D scanning of daguerreotypes

Quintero Balbas,

Pezzati,

Cattaneo

et al. 2024

J. Phys. Photonics

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Daguerreotypes are historical photographic images made on mirror-like metallic plates. These are heritage objects whose shape cannot be measured with invasive techniques, like contact probes, but the high reflectivity of their surfaces makes the use of non-invasive, 3D-measuring optical techniques challenging. Moreover, the dark areas resulting from their degradation produce a very high contrast, which add extra difficulties to their measurement.In the last few years, several strategies have been developed to overcome the limitations of optical techniques when measuring reflective metallic surfaces. Many of these solutions are not applicable to the study of cultural heritage artifacts, as they are invasive. We attempted the use of conoscopic holography in a 3D-scanning system using a double-exposure strategy.This is a promising option for 3D measuring of daguerreotypes, as we experimentally demonstrated in this work. We present the results obtained from the analyses of two 19th-century daguerreotypes with different superficial conditions. The double-exposure allowed us to obtain high-quality data from the entire object surface. This enabled the measurement of micro-scale details related to the manufacturing process and/or to the corrosion deposits. The proposed methodology can be exploited to monitor the overall health of highly reflective metallic objects but also the outcomes of some conservation treatments, such as cleaning.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D scanning of daguerreotypes

Quintero Balbas,

Pezzati,

Cattaneo

et al. 2024

J. Phys. Photonics

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“…The nanoparticles (NPs) are constituted by Ag-Hg amalgams (e.g., the schachnerite ζ phase (hexagonal Ag 11 Hg 9 ) and γ phase (body-centered cubic plate. The nanoparticles (NPs) are constituted by Ag-Hg amalgams (e.g., the schachnerite ζ phase (hexagonal Ag11Hg9) and γ phase (body-centered cubic Ag3Hg4)) [1,3,4,6] produced after a series of chemical reactions [1,3]. Because of their intrinsic fragility, the daguerreotypes were enclosed in a package (step 7), made of various materials (e.g., metals, textiles, glass, and wood) [7], as schematized in Figure 1b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the size of the plate or the invasiveness (required physical sampling) might limit their application. The microscopic investigations shed light on the image particle formation, on their shape, and how their modifications impact the optical properties of the daguerreotype [3,5,6]. Additionally, elemental spot sensing with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) [10] and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) [17] proved particularly useful due to the prevalence of the metallic and glass elements inside the daguerreotypes structures; however, the latter is micro-invasive.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Degradation of Daguerreotypes and the Relationship with Their Multi-Material Structure: A Multimodal Investigation

Balbas

Cattaneo

Cagnini

et al. 2023

Sensors

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Preserving and analytically examining daguerreotypes is particularly challenging because of their multi-material and multi-component structure. Various sensors have been exploited to examine mainly the image plates of the daguerreotypes even though the degradation goes beyond this component. Micro-analyses have been the preferred method due to the nanoscale structure of the image particles. In this work, we propose comprehensive multi-modal non-invasive sensing to investigate the corrosion products present in nine daguerreotypes from the Fondazione Alinari per la Fotografia (FAF, Florence, Italy). The methodology proposed includes chemical and morphological analyses: portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF), Raman microspectroscopy (μ-Raman), and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in reflection mode (μ-rFTIR) for the chemical identification. For the first time, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was deployed to record the cross-sectional and morphological data of the relevant corrosion formations on daguerreotypes in a contactless way. The results allowed the characterization, in a non-invasive mode at a microscopic level, of a wide range of degradation products produced by the interaction of the different elements present in the structure of the daguerreotypes. The aim was to verify the performance of the proposed methodology and to link the chemical and physical complexity of the entire structure, disclosed by the state-of-art sensors, to the daguerreotype degradation. The results draw attention to the need to monitor not only the image condition but the whole object as a partially closed system in constant interaction internally and with the environment.

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“…Most technical studies of 19th-century photographic media to date focus on daguerreotypes and their degradation [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Attention to other 19th-century photographic processes, however, has been rising thanks to the availability of cutting-edge methods of non-invasive instrumental analysis, although these studies mostly aim to characterize photographic supports, materials, and techniques used by a single photographer or for a specific photographic category [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary photographs and improved positives: discovering the New York Public Library’s Arctic Exploration album

et al. 2021

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In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, original photographs were sent to publishers so that they could be reproduced in print. The photographs often needed to be reworked with overpainting and masking, and such modifications were especially necessary for low-contrast photographs to be reproduced as a letterpress halftone. As altered objects, many of these marked-up photographs were simply discarded after use. An album at The New York Public Library, however, contains 157 such photographs, all relating to the Jackson–Harmsworth expedition to Franz Josef Land, from 1894 to 1897. Received as gifts from publishers, the photographs are heavily retouched with overpainting and masking, as well as drawn and collaged elements. The intense level of overpainting on many of the photographs, but not on others, raised questions about their production and alteration. Jackson’s accounts attested to his practice of developing and printing photographs on site, testing different materials and techniques—including platino-bromide and silver-gelatin papers—to overcome the harsh environmental conditions. In this context, sixteen photographs from the album were analyzed through a combination of non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). This analytical campaign aimed to evaluate the possible residual presence of silver halides in any of the preliminary and improved photographs. The detection of these compounds would be one of several factors supporting a hypothesis that some of the photographs in the album were indeed printed on site, in the Arctic, and, as a result, may have been impacted by the extreme environment. Additional goals of the study included the evaluation of the extent of retouching, providing a full characterization of the pigments and dyes used in overpainted prints, and comparing the results with contemporaneous photographic publications that indicate which coloring materials were available at the time. Further analyses shed light on the organic components present in the binders and photographic emulsions. This research has increased our knowledge of photographic processes undertaken in a hostile environment such as the Arctic, and shed light on the technical aspects of photographically illustrating books during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Characterizing the Image Forming Particles of Modern Ungilded Daguerreotypes Using XRD and SEM

Cited by 5 publications

References 15 publications

3D scanning of daguerreotypes

3D scanning of daguerreotypes

The Degradation of Daguerreotypes and the Relationship with Their Multi-Material Structure: A Multimodal Investigation

Preliminary photographs and improved positives: discovering the New York Public Library’s Arctic Exploration album

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