Photomechanical Prints: History, Technology, Aesthetics, and Use
- Registration Closed
This online program provides access to talks that were presented during the in-person symposium that took place October 31-November 2, 2023, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
For roughly 150 years, people have been accustomed to seeing photomechanical prints on a daily basis. Prints exist in a variety of milieus with multiple variations over time, use, and geography. Historic and contemporary examples are prevalent in museums, libraries, archives, and personal collections worldwide. Photomechanical prints were developed to fill many needs including practical and economical methods for mass reproduction, techniques to facilitate the simultaneous printing of images and text, increased image permanence, a perception of increased truthfulness and objectivity, and an autonomous means of artistic expression. They exist at the intersections of numerous disciplines: photography and printmaking, functional and artistic practices, the histories of photography and the graphic arts, and the specialties of paper and photograph conservation.
The program will provide an opportunity for conservators, curators, historians, scientists, collections managers, catalogers, archivists, librarians, educators, printmakers, artists, and collectors to share and explore all aspects of photomechanical printing. The resulting advancement of our collective understanding of these ubiquitous but under-researched materials will allow for new interpretations and improved approaches to their collection, interpretation, preservation, treatment, and display.
Content available until January 1, 2025.
Funding for this program comes from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation fund for Collaborative Workshops in Photograph Conservation and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) Endowment for Professional Development. FAIC relies on your contributions to support these and its many other programs.
Photomechanical Prints Symposium Planning Committee
- Alisha Chipman, Photograph Conservator, Library of Congress
- Martin Jürgens, Conservator of Photographs, Rijksmuseum
- Shannon Perich, Curator, History of Photography Collection, National Museum of American History
- Rachel Mustalish, Paper Conservator, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Consulting Committee
- Jon Goodman, Photogravure Master Printer
- David Hanson, Historian & Collector
- Erik Hougen, Master Printer/ Silkscreen Studio Director, Two Palms
- Steven Joseph, Historian & Collector
- Helena Wright, Curator Emeritus, Graphic Arts Collection, National Museum of American History
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