This daguerreotype of the Amos Binney Monument in Mount Auburn Cemetery also began to cloud over within a month on display.

The daguerreotype of this unidentified woman was taken around 1850. After only a month on display a haze began to appear over much of the darker portions of the image.

This portrait of abolitionist Henry I. Bowdich developed both hazing and spots during the 2005 exhibition.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN:

This plate has significant deterioration from being in a case with excess humidity. The cover glass decomposed and the alkaline salts became hydrated on its interior and dripped onto the plate creating alkaline bi-metallic corrosion or a battery effect....[More]

UNIDENTIFIED MAN:

This plate has significant deterioration from being in a case with excess humidity. The cover glass decomposed and the alkaline salts became hydrated on its interior and dripped onto the plate creating alkaline bi-metallic corrosion or a battery effect. The corrosion pitted the plate and eventually the pits reached to the copper base metal, which accelerated the complex corrosion system. While humid, many organic also propagated across the surface.  [Less] [Link to this slide]

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN AND CHILD:

This daguerreotype has multiple forms of corrosion or oxidation covering the entire image. This sort of deterioration is caused by sources of sulfur in the vicinity of the daguerreotype or other factors that might form silver oxide as well as light-induced silver reduction if chlorides are present on the surface....[More]

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN AND CHILD:

This daguerreotype has multiple forms of corrosion or oxidation covering the entire image. This sort of deterioration is caused by sources of sulfur in the vicinity of the daguerreotype or other factors that might form silver oxide as well as light-induced silver reduction if chlorides are present on the surface. It is impossible to ascertain the mechanisms of this sort of overall obscuring of the image, often called tarnish, without instrumental examination.  [Less] [Link to this slide]

UNIDENTIFIED COUPLE

This daguerreotype exhibits deterioration arising from chemical cleaning with a thiourea solution: commonly known as silver dip often used to clean flatware....[More]

UNIDENTIFIED COUPLE

This daguerreotype exhibits deterioration arising from chemical cleaning with a thiourea solution: commonly known as silver dip often used to clean flatware. The harsh chemicals leave residual reactive components in the nano-structure of the daguerreotype and this type of brown spotting occurs over time. This is a documented case of this condition; it was acquired as a study piece from the last owner who cleaned it in that manner approximately 20 years ago.  [Less] [Link to this slide]

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN:

Daguerreotype was acquired without an original case or protective enclosure. The deterioration arises from many undetermined sources: physical damage from scratching and handling; streaks and hazing from atmospheric attack, including moisture and pollutants....[More]

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN:

Daguerreotype was acquired without an original case or protective enclosure. The deterioration arises from many undetermined sources: physical damage from scratching and handling; streaks and hazing from atmospheric attack, including moisture and pollutants. There appears to be evidence of possible deliberate intervention at some point, or contact with unknown liquids that reacted with the exposed surface. It also has numerous biological formations on it visible at high magnification.  [Less] [Link to this slide]