Data on Photoflash and Related Sources

Effects of Light on Materials in Collections: Data on Photoflash and Related Sources

Terry T. Schaeffer

2001

220 pages

PDF file size: 3.7 MB


Description

The impact of light on works of art and archival materials has long been an issue of concern to conservators and other museum professionals, yet the literature on this subject has never been systematically reviewed. This volume fills that gap by providing a survey of the impact of exposure to light with an emphasis on photoflash and reprographic sources. The information provided will assist the professional audience, especially conservators and collections managers, in assessing the risk to art and archival objects of such exposures.

The text surveys relevant photophysical and photochemical principles, photometric and radiometric measurement, and the spectral outputs of several light sources. Materials discussed include colorants and natural fibers; pulp, paper, and wood; natural and synthetic polymers; fluorescent whitening agents; photographic and reprographic materials; and objects containing combinations of materials. Approximations and assumptions used in the evaluation process are discussed in some detail, with examples of the different types of calculations.

The Research in Conservation reference series presents the findings of research conducted by the Getty Conservation Institute and its individual and institutional research partners, as well as state-of-the-art reviews of conservation literature. Each volume covers a topic of current interest to conservators and conservation scientists.

Table of Contents

  • Foreword
    Timothy P. Whalen
  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: Background Information
    • Photophysics
    • Photochemistry
    • Light Sources
    • Filters Used with Light Sources
    • Considerations for the Calculations
  • Chapter 2: Results of the Literature Search
    • Colorants
    • Natural Fibers
    • Pulp, Paper, and Wood
    • Gums and Natural Resins
    • Synthetic Polymers
    • Polymeric Materials Containing Colorants
    • Fluorescent Whitening Agents
    • Photographic and Reprographic Materials
    • Miscellaneous Objects and Combinations of Materials
  • Chapter 3: Technical Details from the Literature Search
    • Colorants
    • Natural Fibers
    • Pulp, Paper, and Wood
    • Gums and Natural Resins
    • Synthetic Polymers
    • Polymeric Materials Containing Colorants
    • Fluorescent Whitening Agents
    • Photographic and Reprographic Materials
    • Miscellaneous Objects and Combinations of Materials
  • Chapter 4: Discussion
    • Assumptions Used for the Calculations
    • Assessing Risk
    • Suggestions for Further Action
  • References
  • Index
  • About the Author

About the Authors

Terry Trosper Schaeffer received her Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, and spent more than two decades doing research on photosynthetic pigments and ion transport across mammalian cell membranes. In 1989 Schaeffer entered the field of conservation research as a Fellow-by-Courtesy at the G. W. C. Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and a visiting research collaborator at the Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution (now the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education). She has been a special conservation research fellow in the Conservation Center of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and an outside contractor with the Getty Conservation Institute and is currently the chemical hygiene officer in the Conservation Center at LACMA.

Press Reviews and Awards

  • “A very comprehensive literature review.” —The NPO Journal