http://dablog.ulcc.ac.uk/2008/07/31/digitising-william-morris-lantern-slides-part-3/
We stumbled upon fascinating facets of lantern slide creation, assembly and ageing processes during digitisation of the William Morris collection. Use of forensic resolutions, true colour and high bit depths in the capture process (2400ppi true optical/RGB 48bit) allowed us to pick out what we think are some singularly remarkable hand painted slides (slides that were generated by direct application of ink to the glass), and unearth an array of decay and fading patterns.
This 1st example of a hand-coloured slide depicts the Tudor Kelmscott Manor, “The Country Home of William Morris”, and surrounding scenery. (Click on images to enlarge in a new page and click the back button to return to the post)
Of notice are the rudimentary nature of the colouring work and the 2 occurrences highlighted in pink (enlarged below).
The section on the left is enlarged here to show how some, perhaps fortuitous, cyan tints seem to have undergone change, probably bubbling and eating the emulsion or causing it to dissolve.
The section on the right shows an area blobbed in orange tint that looks to have been dropped and/or smeared by mistake.
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This 2nd slide seems to have been created, or should we say drawn, by direct application of black ink to one of the glass layers, eschewing employment of photographic processes. Although stylistically quite of its time, it nonetheless harks back to an age when photography had yet not risen and lantern slides were created by direct application of sketching and painting techniques to one of the glass layers in the sandwich.
Enlargement of the eye area shows how expansion and contraction (conceivably due to heat generated by the lantern projector) has caused the ink to crack, resulting in an intense fracture pattern that is made evident by the high capture resolution.
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A bird’s eye view of Corfe Castle Village, revealing the architectural and landscaping backdrop to some everyday hubbub in pastoral terra firma.
And a partial enlargement of the lawn or pasture highlighted in pink, revealing what look to be picnickers eating out on the grass (the relatively etched shadows and airy clothing, substantiating the proposition of mild and sunny days long ahead of climate change).
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Finally, an example of how supplementary visual metadata was captured by reflective scanning of the tape surround and labelled areas (we decided to provide separate archival tiffs for translucent and opaque capture, but the 2 could easily be merged to provide a single visual reference in the sphere of access JPEGs).
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It’s been a pleasurable journey. I feel privileged to have had the chance to work with the William Morris Society and contributed to the preservation of this important collection.
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For more information about the life and work of William Morris, and for research enquiries regarding the William Morris Archive, please visit The William Morris Society Web Site.
Additional case study information about the project, including a testimonial from the William Morris Society, can be viewed on the ULCC website in the William Morris Case Study section.
