Part One – The Image

Warhol’s Marilyn, Pisoletto’s mirror, Visitors, MOMA, New York. Pigment Print 20x30 in.

Art buyers, aware I print digitally, have asked me, “Will this image last?” This question is almost never asked of painters, watercolourists, mixed media artists or sculptors, only of photographers. The question of, “ Just how permanent is this?” has been with photographers ever since 1839 when John Herschel developed the first chemical “fixer” to halt the exposure and development of silver salts coated on paper, leaving a long-lasting image.

Some images from photography’s earliest decades remain in pristine condition, proving that photographs can be permanent. However, throughout the history of photography there have been instances where certain types of images have faded or degraded almost before our eyes. These instances include the instability of black and white prints on resin coated paper, the rapid fading of early C-prints and the fleeting nature of inkjet images produced with first generation printers that used dye inks rather than the more permanent pigment inks. Thus art buyers are justly wary when purchasing a photograph. Due to these past issues, photography’s image permanence has been the subject of more intense scientific scrutiny than any other medium. As a result, ironically, we have more data about the longevity of photographic materials than for any other media. (more…)