Digital BW, The Print

lyonscox wrote:

> <snip>
>
> This "not dry mounting" thing is absolutely the equivalent in
> argument to archival inks.  It's the archivists pre-occupation.  I
> know personally of a museum curator suggesting removing a silver
> image from a dry mount.  To do so would have DESTROYED the value of
> the artwork from an investment standpoint.  This was an educated
> individual in conservation, NOT in the particular PHOTOGRAPHERS
> habits.  The particulars are more important in the long run.

The job of a museum curator is to conserve the work of art.  They should never
care about 'investment value'.  This is (allegedly) the difference between a
museum and a gallery.

>
> Edward Weston's work is a good example.  He used a variety of backing
> boards which, therefore, are in various states.  However the shellac
> used to drymount turns out to have been THE BEST barrier from that
> era, so prints can be in fantastic condition and just need the
> attention of a good framer.

Shellac (a wet mounting technique) would be considered a very good mounting
adhesive (from a conservation perspective) as it can be 'melted' with exposure
to alcohol fumes, and therefore is easily 'reversible'.

There actually are some 'reversible' dry mounting films.  I can't remember the
name of the one I used to use, it's been over ten years.  Anyway, the mounting
'film' melted at a relatively low temperature, had no acids or substrate, and in
the future could be easily softened and removed.

>
> A note on signing...again consitency and changes are what becomes
> noted.  Atget rarely, if ever, signed things.  He was not an artist.
> Weston signed front and/or back.  Frederick Sommer for years didn't
> sign images (never on the front, it distracts) until they were to
> leave the house - therefore something unsigned gets further
> examination since his copy prints were so beautiful and were more
> often kept than returned (much to his dissatisfaction).

Yeah, but signing one's prints in the here and now, consistently, makes future
authentication all that much easier.  And authentication, of course, does not
make any particular work better or worse, but more valuable from an investment
point of view.

Harvey Ferdschneider
partner, SKID Photography, NYC




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