Gums and Resins in Glass Plate Negatives of Qajarid Period Held at the Golestan Palace Photo Archive

The use of resins and gums in historical art works has been considered for a long time. These materials were used for a variety of purposes in different arts such as painting, calligraphy, gilding, architectural decorations and even buildings. Resins and gums were also used photography. The present study carried out by examining the photographic glass plates of the album house of the Golestan Palace collection to identify the role of gums and resins in the production of Qajarid black-and-white glass plate negatives. 

Data was collected using FTIR method fornon-destructive chemical analysis. Also, historical technical literature was reviewed for additional data.

As expected, the use of different resins and gums such as Arabic gum and shellac in different parts of the glass plate negatives has been common.  Some cases were identified to be different from those mentioned in the historical technical literature. These materials have been used as a varnish layer, pre-retouch, post-retouch coating, as well as adhesives.