TY - JOUR
T1 - The Coated Salted Paper Prints from the Eduard Isaac Asser Collection at the Rijksmuseum
T2 - FTIR and OCT Identification and Characterization
AU - Herrera Garrido, Rosina
AU - de Groot, Suzan
AU - Callewaert-Dore, Tom
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - The Rijksmuseum holds four valuable albums with 187 photographs made by Eduard Isaac Asser (1809–1894), one of the first figures in photography in the Netherlands. Based on visual examination, most of these prints have been identified as salted paper prints with a coating, but they can be hard to distinguish from matte or glossy albumen prints, especially where the coating is thick. In order to be more accurate in our descriptions and to better understand Asser’s technique, a technical study of his work was conducted. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) helped us to identify, to a certain extent, the nature of the coatings. Before the analysis, the prints had been described either as “shellac coated” or as “waxed,” based on their varying degree of sheen. FTIR identified a larger number of substances in the coatings: gum, protein, natural resin, and possibly starch. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was also used to study the coatings. Because OCT has limitations when dealing with very thin layers, it was not always suitable for distinguishing coated salted paper prints from coated albumen prints. However, it did turn out to be a useful tool to explore the topography and structure of the paper supports and the coatings.
AB - The Rijksmuseum holds four valuable albums with 187 photographs made by Eduard Isaac Asser (1809–1894), one of the first figures in photography in the Netherlands. Based on visual examination, most of these prints have been identified as salted paper prints with a coating, but they can be hard to distinguish from matte or glossy albumen prints, especially where the coating is thick. In order to be more accurate in our descriptions and to better understand Asser’s technique, a technical study of his work was conducted. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) helped us to identify, to a certain extent, the nature of the coatings. Before the analysis, the prints had been described either as “shellac coated” or as “waxed,” based on their varying degree of sheen. FTIR identified a larger number of substances in the coatings: gum, protein, natural resin, and possibly starch. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was also used to study the coatings. Because OCT has limitations when dealing with very thin layers, it was not always suitable for distinguishing coated salted paper prints from coated albumen prints. However, it did turn out to be a useful tool to explore the topography and structure of the paper supports and the coatings.
KW - coated photograph
KW - Eduard Isaac Asser
KW - Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
KW - FTIR
KW - OCT
KW - optical coherence tomography
KW - Photographic album
KW - salted paper print
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85091817163&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/01971360.2020.1774725
DO - 10.1080/01971360.2020.1774725
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85091817163
SN - 0197-1360
VL - 59
SP - 246
EP - 261
JO - Journal of the American Institute for Conservation
JF - Journal of the American Institute for Conservation
IS - 3-4
ER -