At Harvard, the team from Weissman Preservation Center (WPC) has been working on the Salt Prints Initiative, and they estimate about 15,000 salt prints university-wide. At the Fine Arts Library, we have over 800 salt prints. “The project has provided a unique opportunity for a fruitful exchange among Harvard conservators, librarians, collection managers, curators, scholars, faculty, students, and interns. This cross-disciplinary exchange provides invaluable insights into pioneering uses of the medium and opens exciting avenues for the creative use of Harvard’s photographic resources in object-based learning in the sciences and humanities.”[1]
For example, a portrait of Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827 – February 15, 1905), an American lawyer and author of the historical novel, “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ,” provides us significant information on coatings used in salt prints. In this half-coated print, we can study the clear contrast between the coated and uncoated surfaces. Read more about the Salt Prints Initiative at Harvard.
Source: Salt Prints at Harvard
[1] Taken from Salt Prints at Harvard’s website: https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/saltprintsatharvard
