by Mrs. Jean Goldie
Saskatchewan Archives Board
Manitoba History, Number 4, 1982
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The Restoration and Identification of Historic Photographs Workshop sponsored by the Association of Manitoba Archivists on 28 February 1981 got underway after a friendly cup of coffee and registration period. The first speaker, Charles Brandt, Conservator at the Provincial Archives of Manitoba. gave a clear explanation of the chemical composition of the various types of photographic images. He pointed out that people and bad storage are the main causes of deterioration of photographs and outlined ways of cleaning. restoring and stabilizing images and methods of preventing further deterioration. Monitoring the environment was high on Charles’ list but he recognized that proper environmental controls would be difficult to follow in most smaller institutions. However, there are many helpful ideas and hints we could all put to use.
The slide show on clothing design as a technique for dating photographs presented by Peggy Tyrchniewicz from the Faculty of Human Ecology, University of Manitoba, was interesting and helpful—although somewhat difficult to take notes in the dark! This would be particularly helpful to have in a printed form for constant reference.
The Western Canada Pictorial Index tour by Thora Cooke, Index Researcher, was fully explained to us and the number of visual aids available there for educational purposes is impressive. It appears to be an excellent resource centre for researchers interested in Western Canadian history.
The Manitoba Provincial Government photographer, David Landy, illustrated his talk with slides. He explained how he copied historical photographs, the developing of prints to archival standards and problems encountered in his work. His information on types of paper, storage and copy work would be of great value.
The history of photography by Elizabeth Blight, Provincial Archives of Manitoba. was enhanced with examples of daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, etc., with explanations of their composition and examples of the different types and sizes of photographs. Useful ideas and hints, such as “know your photographer,” were directed to those involved in cataloguing photographs. The “Hands-on” workshop at the end of the day was a worthwhile exercise to test our skill at dating photographs.
The workshop was both enjoyable and informative. The central message was one of respect for each and every photographic image with each session reinforcing this theme. Briefly, know the physical limitations of the document; understand the context in which it was created; train the eye to analyze detail for dating; become acquainted with the overall work of the photographer; and do your best to convey this respect to researchers.
Page revised: 15 February 2012
