Researchers develop method for revealing images on degraded daguerreotypes

Researchers at Western University in Canada have developed a method for restoring damaged daguerreotypes, including plates so degraded that no portion of the original image remains discernible to the eye. The method, the university explains, involves using rapid-scanning micro-X-ray fluorescence imaging to analyze the silver-coated plate and identify the mercury element used to develop it. "Mercury is the major element that contributes to the imagery captured in these photographs. Even though th...