Service Spotlight: Photograph Conservation at CCAHA

Since CCAHA's first Photograph Conservator began in 1980, Photograph Conservation has been one of our primary services. CCAHA’s Photograph Conservators have extensive scientific and practical training—they understand how photographs are created, how they age, and best practices for how they can be treated, from early cased photographs on metal and glass to negatives to modern prints. 

At the helm of the department is one of CCAHA's longest-tenured staff members, Senior Photograph Conservator Barbara Lemmen. Barbara is also affiliated faculty at the University of Delaware, and, along with CCAHA Board member Debra Hess Norris, has formed a direct connection between the Conservation Center and the undergraduate and graduate programs of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC). 

This mentorship tradition runs deep at CCAHA; Barbara herself was mentored by Debra, CCAHA's first Photograph Conservator, during her time in the WUDPAC program. Now Barbara continues this cycle, passing on decades of knowledge and expertise to the next generation of conservators. 

The Photo Department Grows 

Last year, Joanna Hurd expanded her responsibilities at CCAHA by joining the photo team as an Associate Photograph Conservator in addition to her role as an Associate Paper Conservator. Joanna minored in photograph conservation while obtaining her degree at WUDPAC; since she started at CCAHA as a Fellow in Paper Conservation in 2020, she has increased her time working with photographic materials and teaching current graduate students in the WUDPAC Program. 

In 2024, CCAHA also welcomed two additional members to the department: Ivey Barker joined CCAHA staff as Associate Photograph Conservator and Matilde Ticci joined as a Photograph Conservation Fellow. 

All three new team members bring fresh perspectives as they embark on working on a variety of photo conservation treatments. 

The Path to Photo Conservation 

“A lot of conservators have a meandering path that led them to the field, and I am no exception,” Ivey said. “I love the field of photograph conservation because it continues to spark my curiosity.” 

Prior to CCAHA, Ivey was the Mellon Fellow in Photograph Conservation at the Cleveland Museum of Art. She also worked at the National Archives and Records Administration, the Image Permanence Institute, and the George Eastman Museum. She holds a BA in Art History and Museum Studies, a BA in Global Studies, an AFA degree in Technical Theatre, and an MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management. She also spent some time as a Fulbright researcher in Poland.  

Matilde is from Florence, Italy, graduating from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in April 2024. She owes her love of conservation to her grandfather, whom she never got to meet.  

“Coming from a very poor and underdeveloped part of Sicily, he dedicated his life to the service of Florence’s museums and galleries,” she said. “Being able to graduate from an institution like the Opificio delle Pietre Dure was, for me, a way to connect with his dream.”  

Matilde built on her studies by participating in several internships at places like the Gabinetto Fotografico delle Gallerie degli Uffizi and the Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Throughout all of her experiences, she has always gravitated toward the conservation of photos.  

“What moves me most are family photographs – the often-overlooked heritage that is, in many cases, the only tangible memory of those who came before us,” she said.  

A Culture of Mentorship 

What drew Ivey to CCAHA was the “diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, projects, and clients” as well as the collegial spirit the Center offers.  

“There is a strong sense of interdisciplinary mentorship here that is invaluable,” she said. “Staff strive to organize internal trainings – ideally with a hands-on component – to share material knowledge, specialized skills, and techniques with other conservators on a regular basis.”  

Matilde agrees that the Center’s reputation is what drew her to travel to the U.S. for this post-graduate fellowship.  

“I deeply appreciate being in an environment that values and protects its staff,” she said. “I believe CCAHA is special in this regard. There is a shared effort to make this workplace a supportive and inspiring community.” 

Ivey, Joanna, and Matilde are immersed in a number of projects including conservation treatment of gelatin glass plate negatives, large-format photographs such as WWI-era panoramas, and cased objects such as daguerreotypes and tintypes.  

Barbara finds deep value in working alongside and mentoring Ivey, Joanna, and Matilde.

“Conservators have a responsibility to mentor young professionals, which benefits both parties on many levels,” she said.  

“Matilde and Ivey have broadened the knowledge base and skill set of our team, plus expanded our capacity. Photography covers myriad processes, and new ones are being created, so it truly takes a village to care for them.” 

At CCAHA, that village extends well beyond the Photograph Conservation department. Mentorship is at the heart of our institutional culture, woven through every discipline and level of practice. Senior staff across departments actively invest in developing emerging professionals, fostering a collaborative environment where knowledge is continually shared and expanded. 

With fellows arriving from as far as Florence and staff drawing on international research experience, CCAHA’s mentorship model connects preservation professionals across borders and generations. From Debra Hess Norris’s early leadership to today’s growing team, each link in the chain strengthens the field as a whole. 

From top: Ivy works on a World War I–era panoramic photograph from a local client’s collection, depicting the School of Aeronautics of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Flying Corps in Canada; Barb poses with a newly released book to which she contributed; the Photo Department on a field trip to The Halide Project (from left: CCAHA Photograph Conservation Fellow Matilde Ticci; Senior Photograph Conservator Barbara Lemmen; Halide Project volunteer Adam Schachner; Associate Paper & Photograph Conservator Joanna Hurd; and Associate Photograph Conservator Ivey Barker).