CPC Conservation Treatment Archive
Please see services offered by The Centre.
CPC's Reference Library
The Centre has a growing Reference Library of predominantly
early
photographic technical manuals and publications, photographic
chemistry and other photographically related publications plus
conservation journals, newsletters and photocopies. The Library
is used by The Centre's staff and students; we regret that
it is not open to the public.
Please note from 2005 the research focus of The Centre will concentrate on ensuring the Photographic Collections and Reference Library are catalogued and preserved and the CPC Conservation Treatment Archive streamlined.
The Centre for Photographic Conservation is a private Conservation and Preservation resource which receives no Grant funding from any source. All The Centre’s Research, Photographic Collections and the Research Library are funded entirely from the Commercial activities of The Centre
The Centre does not have facilities for researchers nor, because of financial and time restraints, do we have a free advice service.
We do however respond to friendly queries when ever possible.
CPC's Teaching Collection
The Centre's Teaching Collection, assembled over 30 years,
contains
examples of original photographic processes spanning the history
of photography ranging from the Heliograph 1822 right through
to Thermal prints; the image originating from a digital imaging
camera 1996. The collection also contains images which exhibit
classic deterioration defects common to specific photographic
processes for example, copper corrosion products on Daguerreotype
plates, glass decomposition products in Wet-collodion positives
and negatives, insoluble argentothiosulphate complexes in silver
based prints and oxidation of residual iron salts in platinum
prints. This reference material is consulted extensively during
the training courses run by The Centre. The collection
also includes
early photographic equipment, cameras and ephemera.
"Angelatypes" On a less studious note the collection also includes several "Angelatypes" named thus by Roy Flukinger, Curator of Photography at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Centre in Austin Texas. These positive images, produced on a pewter plate using Bitumen of Judea, were the result of one of a number of experiments Ian Moor and Angela Moor undertook whilst doing research into early photographic processes at HRHRC in 1989. The images exhibit a wonderful warmth and colour which are not present in Niecéphore Niépce's Heliographs produced from the same materials, the earliest of which is in the HRHRC's Gernsheim Collection. Angela maintains that she could not repeat this particular experiment without the 80% humidity and blazing sunshine, of which Austin has in abundance. This might be true, or, it could just be a good excuse to return to Austin of which she has very fond memories.
In 1972 the Moors made a positive decision not to collect photographs other than for reference purposes, culminating in the Teaching Collection however, despite sticking to that policy they have still managed to accumulate a sizeable personal collection. The majority of the collection, including images by Fox Talbot, Hill and Adamson, Cameron, Emerson and Sutcliff, is predominantly 19th century, but, it also includes Ponting, Man Ray and many anonymous photographers from both centuries.