The volume presents the results of a four-year inter-institutional, interdisciplinary research initiative led and organized by the National Gallery of Art. Contributions by 47 leading photograph conservators, scientists, and historians provide detailed examinations of the chemical, material, and aesthetic qualities of this important class of rare, beautiful, and technically complex photographs. The volume will help those who care for photograph collections gain a thorough appreciation of the technical and aesthetic characteristics of platinum and palladium prints and scientific basis for their preservation.

This volume provides a practical guide to all aspects of collections care including conservation practice, the monitoring of control of light, relative humidity and atmospheric pollution, biological infestation and disaster planning.

The human eye is only capable of detecting a miniscule percentage of the electromagnetic spectrum; we call this visible light. It is this limited perception that has defined our very reality as a species. Second Sight is the story of a brilliant young scientist who develops the nano-technology to cure blindness. He could never have prepared for the betrayal and intrigue that befell him, nor could he have foreseen the hidden agendas that lay waiting in the shadows. Michael Rose's synchronistic journey into the realms of possibility would not only leave him questioning his own sanity, but the very nature of existence itself. Neither he nor his nefarious benefactors stopped to ask: if this nano-technology could enhance the function of the human eye, what else would it see?