AIC's 46th Annual Meeting

Cased images differ significantly from conventional forms of paper-based photography. The daguerreotype is distinguished by its metallic composition: a thin copper plate with a highly polished silver surface was vulnerable to marring, abrasion, scratches, tarnish, rust, and corrosion. As a result, cases were constructed from decoratively covered wood or ornamentally molded thermoplastic to protect these fragile images. Conservation of these cased images is complicated. Not only is one dealing with a photographic image but also with leather, velvet, wood, plastic, cloth, metal, glass, and varnish. As a conservator it is important that the conservation and preservation approaches find a balance between the photographic image and its traditional housing. Using the Dolley Madison cased image from The Greensboro History Museum, as an example, this talk will discuss the conservation of the daguerreotype plate and its severely compromised gold stamped blue velvet case that was created in the semblance of a book. Adopting techniques and materials from book conservation as well as objects conservation, the cover was reattached, the spine was repaired and modified to create a safer opening of the case, and missing tray components were recreated using traditional water gilding techniques on wood.