Gottscho Acetate Negative Recovery

Approximately 800 negatives made by the architectural photographer Samuel H. Gottscho, in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York, are in the process of being conserved, rehoused, and digitized by Chicago Albumen Works. As with other acetate negative recovery projects which CAW has undertaken, the pellicle is removed from the unstable and badly damaged base, carefully pieced together if broken or cracked, scanned at high resolution, and duplicate negatives are produced.

For more information about Samuel H. Gottscho please visit MCNY’s site, or read this interesting New York Times article by Randy Kennedy: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/27/arts/design/27myth.html.

Negative before, during, and after treatment. Image use courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York:

International Music Hall, Theater Interior, 1932
Photograph by Samuel H. Gottscho
Museum of the City of New York, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection

About albumenworks

Founded in Chicago in 1976 by Doug Munson and Joel Snyder, CAW moved to the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts in 1982. The Chicago Albumen Works puts decades of experience to work for some of the finest collections from around the world. A combination of technical expertise and historical perspective, operating in a controlled, conservation environment, directs our solutions to the diverse challenges presented by photograph collections. At CAW, the synergy of technical understanding, a conservator’s approach, an artist’s eye and a historian’s perspective creates a unique, productive, and collegial environment.

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