One day while I was working at the Grogan & Co. Auctioneers, a stunning pair of Grand Tour photo albums appeared in the glass cases in the entry showroom. These handbound, illuminated albums came without provenance and in grimy, dilapidated condition. I was immediately entranced and bookended every workday by pouring over the early twentieth century pictures of Algiers and cities all over Italy that were gradually transferring perfect mirror images to the facing pages as age degraded the prints. Continue reading “Grand Tour photo album: a conservation story”