Reviving the memory of the centenary of Mexican Independence: the restoration of photographs

Abstract

In January 2009, the Conservation Workshop from the diploma course in Restoration and Conservation of Photographs at the Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía (encrym) and the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (inah) began the restoration of a collection of 32 photographs from the early 20^th Century that currently belongs to Cenidiap-inba. The images show architectural and sculptural projects planned for the centennial celebrations of Mexico’s independence in 1910. For over 100 years these photographs were in the custody of different institutions and presented different degrees of deterioration. This article details the restoration process of 26 of the photographs, in which documentary and aesthetic characteristics of the collection were restored and innovative treatments in restoring photographs in Mexico were implemented.