The Life of Glass Plate Negative in the Museum: from Storage to Exhibition
Department of Manuscripts of the State Tretyakov Gallery owns a photographic collection of both negative and positive glass-based plates dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century, as well as many film-based negatives from the second half of the 20th century, made not only by professional photographers but also by artists and members of their families. The article provides a brief overview of the main collections of images on transparent base material held in the Department of Manuscripts. Due to poor condition of many photographic plates and films and the characteristics of photographic plate material (fragility, bigger weight in comparison to paper supports, age of the plates, surface nuances) the access to them is granted to museum curators only. However, thanks to the specialists of the Advanced Research Department of the State Tretyakov Gallery, it became possible to use modern technologies to digitize the images on transparent base material (re-shooting them with a digital camera on a negatoscope and scanning the negatives), as well as to carry out digital restoration, color and light correction. As a result of the work of highly qualified experts, images on glass plate negatives become accessible not only to experts and museum curators, but also to the public. Glass and celluloid negatives and positives take on new life in exhibitions and publications. The article discusses specific methods and processes for digitizing and restoring images, as well as methods for showcasing glass plates in the museum space, publishing unique images in catalogs and other print media, and using them in media projects.