Whether for reproductions, documentary images or communication media, photography plays a major role in conserving and enhancing the heritage documents held in libraries.
Developed in the 1930s, microfilm became an essential tool for long-term archiving and disseminating collections. This silver-based medium can be kept for over a hundred years and is easy to duplicate. However, this method of reproduction, often in black and white, inherently obscures the richness of the colours and the finesse of the decorative elements, and requires special readers.
The use of colour photographic film developed alongside this, in order to reproduce the quality of the illustrations, illuminations and gilding as effectively as possible. Negative films and reversal media such as slides have made it possible to build up photo libraries that are essential for scientific research and the production of communication media.
In today’s libraries, silver-based film has been replaced by digital images. These images are simple to produce and process and intended to be easily accessible, but conserving them long-term remains a challenge.
Photography is also important for documenting the various stages involved in restoring heritage documents. It enables us to detail the material history of the collections, assess the work carried out, retain a record of the physical condition of the works and document any developing deterioration.
Photographing heritage works requires a great deal of precision and careful handling – the image must remain faithful to the object being photographed. The use of a colour chart in centimetre increments allows us to assess the size of the object and ensure optimum colour rendition in post-production.
Photography captures a moment in time, and the imprint it creates is a key piece of evidence in the life of documents.
