Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Archaeology - Department of Conservation

Photographs are an essential part of the Egyptian cultural heritage both for their artistic and documentary value. The existence of large quantities of photographic records in archives and libraries has created problems of preserving these records that are, to some degree, comparable to conventional paper objects, but also have special requirements due to their particular nature. A major objective of conservation treatments is to increase the physical and chemical stability of the object being treated. Cleaning and consolidation treatments often form a significant part of the stabilization process. Many studies have dealt with these remedial conservation treatments; however, photographs continue to require educated choices about their conservation and care, particularly since there are no established parameters for the use of these treatments in this field. The research included in this thesis addressed these two major photograph conservation treatments via theoretical, experimental and practical approaches. The study was only applied on silver gelatin and chromogenic prints since they are the classic forms of black and white and color photography, respectively. Evaluated cleaning treatments include: mechanical cleaning (i.e. vinyl erasers), aqueous cleaning (i.e. distilled water, distilled water and ethanol 1:1), and solvent cleaning (i.e. acetone, ethanol, isopropanol, and toluene). The study further evaluated the effectiveness of four consolidants in reinforcing damaged gelatin binder in black and white silver gelatin prints, three of which are frequently used by conservators to consolidate flaking binders and paint i.e. klucel E, gelatin, and funori

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