Advanced Topics in Photograph Conservation

A component of Preservation of Photographs and Photograph Collections
Two people work closely with photographic slides and various tools

From 2013 to 2015, a series of annual two-week workshops focusing on conservation treatment approaches for photographic materials was held as a follow-up to the “Fundamentals of the Conservation of Photographs” course. Like the Fundamentals courses, these advanced workshops were intended primarily for conservators in central, southern, and eastern Europe.

Each workshop in the series focused on a specific type of damage or deterioration problem, guiding participants toward a better understanding of the nature and mechanisms of the damage and the appropriate treatment strategies to address it. The workshops featured intensive instruction, guided hands-on work, and discussion with instructors who are leaders in the field of photograph conservation.

Conservation Strategies of Humidity and Water-Damaged Photographic Materials

The first workshop in the advanced topics series took place in partnership with the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb in July 2013. It provided fifteen mid-career conservators with the theoretical and practical basis to:

  • recognize and understand the needs of photographic materials with humidity and water damage
  • prioritize the conservation needs within their collections
  • communicate with institutional colleagues on collection priorities
  • write a salvage and recovery plan for damaged materials
  • know what to do during the recovery process
  • decide on and perform conservation treatments on these materials if necessary

Identification and Conservation Strategies for Color and Digital Prints

Presented in partnership with the Hungarian National Museum and held at its facilities in July and August 2014, the workshop provided participants with the theoretical and practical basis to:

  • identify different color and digital processes
  • recognize and understand the needs of these photographic materials
  • prioritize the conservation needs within their collections
  • communicate with institutional colleagues on collection priorities
  • decide on and perform conservation treatments on these materials if necessary

Photographs and Their Environment: Decision Making for Sustainability

This workshop was offered in partnership with the Institute of Art History, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and took place at the facilities of the Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU), Department of Photography. It provided seventeen mid-career conservators with the theoretical and practical basis to:

  • recognize and understand the environmental vulnerabilities and needs of photographic materials
  • be familiar with current research and recent developments relating to collection environments
  • prioritize the environmental needs within their institutions for photograph collection
  • communicate with institutional colleagues on environmental priorities and their implementation
  • decide on and perform conservation treatments on these materials if deemed necessary
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