Digital Imaging for Documenting and Modeling the Visual Appearance of 19&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Century Daguerreotypes

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS, has been used to characterize the elemental composition of the surface and interior of nineteenth-century, metal-based photographs called daguerreotypes. A surface plasma was produced by the infrared beam of a nanosecond Nd:YAG laser and the emitted light was dispersed in a monochromator to yield the spectroscopic identification of elements. Major components of the daguerreotype surface included silver, copper, and gold. The gold was only present on the surface, as evidenced by its absence after the first one or two laser shots. Minor components such as silicon, aluminum, calcium, and magnesium reflect contaminant particles arising primarily from the cover glass. Several “colored” or “tinted” daguerreotypes were analyzed and the pigments identified. Depth profiling, accomplished by monitoring the spectra as a function of multiple laser shots, allowed the thickness of the silver layer to be measured as the ablation laser “drilled” into the surface. The LIBS technique is shown to be useful in understanding the composition of daguerreotypes and for identifying the specific pigments used by the photographer. These data also provide a scientific basis for attempts to optimize laser cleaning of tarnished daguerreotypes and may also provide clues to the provenance of particular examples.

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Mas allá de los primeros retratos fotográficos plateados: Estudio mediante microscopía SEM-EDX de dos daguerrotipos

García¹

2022

GEC

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Los daguerrotipos fueron los primeros retratos fotográficos y su estudio resulta fundamental para entender su valor como objetos, su complejidad material y el carácter experimental de la fotografía en su época más temprana. Técnicas analíticas como la microscopía electrónica de barrido SEM-EDX han sido ampliamente utilizadas para la caracterización, diagnóstico y conservación, pues permiten tanto el estudio morfológico de su superficie como conocer la composición elemental de estas piezas tan singulares. El presente artículo expone los resultados obtenidos con esta técnica en dos daguerrotipos pertenecientes a la colección del ingeniero Gustavo Gillman del Archivo General de la Región de Murcia –AGRM- y al Laboratorio de Investigación Fotográfica de la Universidad de Murcia –LIFUM- con el fin de profundizar en su materialidad, modo de manufactura, aportar información acerca de su estado de conservación y averiguar las principales causas de su deterioro. Además, se pone de relieve la presencia de un elemento inusual en uno de los daguerrotipos, el uranio, y se debate acerca del papel que este podría desempeñar en la composición del objeto.

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Digital Imaging for Documenting and Modeling the Visual Appearance of 19<sup>th</sup> Century Daguerreotypes

Cited by 3 publications

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Laser characterization and cleaning of 19th century daguerreotypes II

Laser characterization and cleaning of 19th century daguerreotypes II

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the Analysis of 150-Year-Old Daguerreotypes

Mas allá de los primeros retratos fotográficos plateados: Estudio mediante microscopía SEM-EDX de dos daguerrotipos

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