The Lives of Color: Issues in Reprinting Color Photographs

Tuesday, September 24, 1:30 to 4:30 PM
Led by Judy Ditner and Makeda Best

What happens to a color photograph when it fades away? Is the museum’s responsibility to the maker’s original intention, their present vision, and/or to the object itself? If a photographic print encodes meaning beyond presenting an image, what of this meaning is gained and lost when deteriorated works are substituted for fully reconceived contemporary prints? The seminar will address these and other ethical and philosophical issues as well as offer current thinking on how materials old and new should be labelled, catalogued, and accessed. Case studies will be presented to provoke discussion of the conservator’s role in understanding, developing collection policies for acquisition of re-prints, and managing the preservation imperatives of deteriorated originals.