Physical and Chemical Effects of Water on Albumen prints


Albumen prints are composite objects with complex chemical and physical structures. Different materials lead to very complicated structures, which react and respond differently to external and internal influences. These structures make them more prone to damage as compared to other objects during some conservation treatment processes; a water treatment sometimes is the only alternative available, especially in conserving rare books which are illustrated with albumen prints, and this alternative can affect not only the paper substrate but also the albumen print.


In this study, a diagnostic of 19th-century Carte de Visite (CDV) albumen prints, has been performed before and after water treatment in order to evaluate the possibility of removing an albumen print from its secondary support and the effect of the treatment on the physical characteristics of the albumen layer. The basic aim of this study is to argue that a conservation intervention should not lead to any chemical or physical degradation of such rare photographs.

Read the full article starting on page 7 on News in Conservation, August 2017



News in Conservation, International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Volume 61, London (2017)

This video demonstrating the process of removing albumen print from its secondary support.
(the removal was for some research propose only not for conservation)
Watch this video: https://youtu.be/onq_RkUjnXI


 

 Sherif Afifi

Creating a Knowledge Sharing Culture

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