Seven people, six wearing white lab coats, standing around a large black-and-white panoramic photograph of Niagara Falls on a table in a workroom.

ONLINE EXHIBIT: The Niagara Falls panoramas: Two photographic wonders and their preservation

The assessment

In their makeshift lab in the Legislature, a team of conservators assessed the panoramas to determine the condition of the photographs and the treatments needed to make sure these early 20th-century images stayed intact for centuries to come.

Examining the winter panorama

The first step in assessing the winter panorama was to remove it from its frame—possibly for the first time in over 90 years. Its damage was slightly worse than the summer panorama’s, likely because the summer photograph was found under the winter one, which provided partial protection.

Partial view of a large black-and-white panoramic photograph of a winter landscape. The photograph is on a table in a workroom.

The damage

It was instantly noticeable that both prints had been covered in a thick, yellowed coating of varnish. Beyond the difference in colour from the varnish, there was also a lot of damage to the print surface. Water damage in certain sections had caused staining and made the image layer lift or flake away. There were also many torn areas, mainly along the edges, likely because of handling, water damage or from the frame rubbing against the surface.

Close-up of the surface of a black-and-white photograph showing a damaged area with varnish.

Close-up of brown stains and torn areas on a black-and-white photograph of a winter landscape.

Close-up of damage along the edges of a black-and-white photograph.

The panoramas had been attached to metal sheets that were nailed to wooden support frames. In some places, each photograph was lifting off its metal support. Nails were also missing, causing the metal to separate from the wooden backing in these areas.

Close-up of a side view of a black-and-white photograph on a metal sheet supported by a wooden frame.

Gelatin silver prints

Photographs in Freeland’s day were created by light acting on a surface coated in light-sensitive chemicals. The Niagara Falls panoramas consist of three layers:

Emulsion: the image-bearing layer, composed of light-sensitive silver chloride salts bound together in gelatin
Baryta: a white, chalky layer added to increase the brightness of the prints
Paper support: in this case, a thin and brittle paper, likely made of wood pulp

Close-up of a torn area on a photograph, also showing water stains and sections where the surface of the image has flaked away.

The conservators performed tests using water and alcohol in unvarnished areas along the edge of the panoramas to determine what type of photographs they were. The results of these tests, combined with the age of the photos and discussions with other conservators, helped to identify them as gelatin silver prints.

Woman wearing a respirator and white lab coat is seated next to a large black-and-white panoramic photograph of Niagara Falls on a table in a workroom.

Known for their clarity and detail, gelatin silver prints developed in the 1870s and had become the most common means of making black-and-white prints from negatives by the mid-1890s. Produced by coating paper with a layer of gelatin containing light-sensitive silver salts, they gained popularity over earlier formats because they were considered more stable, easier to produce and resistant to yellowing. Despite their damage, Freeland’s panoramas display a high level of detail that continues to captivate viewers today.

Detail from a black-and-white photograph of Niagara Falls in winter. A snow-covered pathway lined with trees and a few buildings is on the right.

Detail from a black-and-white photograph of Niagara Falls in summer. The Maid of the Mist boat is in the distance on the water and a pathway lined with trees and a few buildings is on the right. Brown water stains and torn areas are visible on the image.

Back to: Chapter 01

The find

Next up: Chapter 03

The cleaning

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