Sometimes it’s not the work itself but the materials we use to
display it that need help. In this post, photograph conservator
Katy Whitman describes how she fixed a pesky case of glass
deterioration. The problem: This is an excellent example of the
crystal form of glass deterioration, which is caused when
impurities in the glass are combined with adverse environmental
conditions over time. It can show up as weeping droplets or
crystals, as seen in the “before” picture above. In advanced
cases of glass deterioration, the glass will actually become
cloudy and translucent. The treatment: I removed the
daguerreotype plate package from the case and then disassembled
it. I cleaned the cover glass and then spot-treated the image
plate to remove fallen crystals and mould deposits. Finally, I
reassembled the package and re-affixed the original sealing tape
to the plate package. The goal when treating daguerreotypes and
other cased photographs is to retain as much of the original
material as possible. Because the orig