[Nhcoll-l] How to display herbarium specimens without color fading

[Mariana Di Giacomo]

Dear Rebecca,

Your experiment was great to show that UV light is not the only source of
radiation responsible for the fading of museum objects or specimens.
Visible light is also to blame, especially if the light levels are too
high. I would recommend you take a look at this great source of
information:
https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/agents-deterioration/light.html

Best,
Mariana

*Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD*
*Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum*
Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC
Secretary/Communications APOYOnline



El dom, 6 mar 2022 a las 15:57, Hawkins, Rebecca Keanni (<
rebecca.hawkins at ku.edu>) escribió:

> Hello everyone,
>
> Is there a way to display herbarium specimens without color fading? As I
> understand it, exposing an herbarium specimen to sunlight (and maybe even
> artificial light?) will cause the specimen's colors to fade to various
> shades of brown. This question isn't for any specific project or
> exhibition, just something I've been curious about ever since I helped an
> herbarium make a small university display and its specimens turned brown
> after a few months of summer sun.
>
> I did try an informal experiment where I put an herbarium specimen in a
> glass picture frame with UV blocking window film. However, the specimen's
> color faded just as fast as a control specimen without the film. This
> suggests that there was fault with the film itself or my application of it,
> or even that UV light alone is not what is causing the color of herbarium
> specimens to fade.
>
> Any ideas? Thanks!
>
> Rebecca Hawkins (she/her)
> M.A. Student in Museum Studies
> University of Kansas
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