Institutionally Recognised Conservator: “Jason Wright of Silver Shadows brought his deep knowledge and skill in preserving daguerreotypes when he helped to restore and stabilise the daguerreotypes in the care of Leeds Museums and Galleries.  He was careful to preserve the historical integrity of the objects and not to over treat or restore them. We found his approach to be very professional and ethical.” Kitty Ross, Curator, Leeds Museums and Galleries.

We have been carrying out conservation on high value, important daguerreotypes for several years with great success and many satisfied clients. We can help with just about any daguerreotype issue from simple re-glassing and archival sealing, right through to ethical/sympathetic plate restoration services. Please  contact us for a no obligation chat to discuss the various options. We will always do our best to help you make an informed decision. Our main concern is not profit but the preservation of these important early images so we will always recommend the minimum of work and least invasive treatment.

Glass Replacement (choice of standard or museum quality glass): Includes archival resealing within the price.

Archival Plate Sealing: Debris gently cleared with air and the whole daguerreotype package painstakingly resealed with Filmoplast P90 archival tape to ensure your precious images stay safe for future generations.

Plate Restoration: We are able to carry out 3 different methods of plate cleaning from traditional chemical to electro-platinum wand restoration. We do however recommend the electro-platinum method which has proven to be the least invasive (according to research under electron microscopes) to the image particle’s microstructure. This technique also has the benefit of pinpointing specific areas to restore (removing clouding from critical small areas like the face and head), leaving a natural ring of tarnish around the peripheries. Please contact us to discuss the options so we can help you make an informed decision. Plate cleaning should not be undertaken lightly though and should only be used when tarnish or other grime has an overly detrimental effect by concealing the critical areas of the image. In most cases, a distilled water bath and new glass will do wonders for a daguerreotype. When cleaning is felt warranted, we carry out a sympathetic process and try to take the bare minimum of tarnish off the plate to reveal its full beauty but maintain a natural look.

Case Restoration: We can bring your leather cases back to life using a number of traditional techniques. From re-hinging to scuff repair and re-moisturizing of the case with leather food to ensure your case stays subtle and survives another 100+ years.