The Disappearing Daguerreotypes

In 2005, the International Center of Photography opened an exhibit called “Young America”.The exhibit largely featured a collection of ghostlydaguerreotypes - antique images made through the pioneer process that paved the way for modern photography. The exhibit opened to rave reviews - but within weeks many of the historic images began disappearing before the curators very eyes, aging decades in a matter of days. It was one of the greatest museum mysteries to date, and an art conservationist’s worst nightmare.  Daniel Grushkin is a freelance journalist – his article “The Case of the Disappearing Daguerreotypes”was published in the December Issue of Scientific American.