January 4, 2013

George Eastman House takes steps to preserve daguerreotypes




Effort aims to save old photographs

Ralph Wiegandt is determined to preserve the earliest of photographs and has teamed up with the University of Rochester to use the latest technology to understand what might be ailing these treasures.

As a conservator for the George Eastman House, Wiegandt has a collection of as many as 5,000 daguerreotype photos — dating back more than 150 years — under his watch.

The problem surfaced in 2005 when a haze was noticed under the glass of five of the 150 framed daguerreotype photographs on exhibit in New York City. The Eastman House organized the exhibit, which also came to Rochester and traveled to Boston, and contributed about half of the photographs — including several that showed damage.