An Investigation into the Creation, Stability, and X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Early Photographic Processes: An Upper-Level Undergraduate Laboratory

Photography is one of the few fine art forms that were initially developed by scientists such as Herschel and Talbot; however, in the modern chemistry curriculum, photography has become divorced from its scientific beginnings and resides in the studio arts department of most universities. An upper-level undergraduate experiment is described in which students duplicate William Henry Fox Talbot's original silver-based photographic methods and analyze their prints by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The students are able to successfully make prints and experimentally confirm whether the prints had been halide stabilized, thiosulfate-fixed, or toned with sulfur, selenium, or gold. Their experimental results are discussed in the context of preservation of museum collections and photograph conservation. This experiment introduced students to the field of conservation science, where chemistry is applied to the investigation and preservation of artistic or cultural materials, activities that often involve the re-creation of historic techniques. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)