The material loss of an historical artefact through chemical breakdown may place the object at the end of its useful heritage ‘life’ in terms of aesthetic value and appearance. But all is not lost in the ephemeral world of historical synthetic plastics. Analytical chemical studies of degraded cellulose nitrate artifacts have unlocked material clues that not only help explain stability variations to guide collection care and preservation, but also bring insight into past manufacturing materials, methods and quality control during production. Translating the industrial materials of a degrading artifact by understanding its past to inform its future can revive it with a new cultural significance, and engages heritage scientists, historians and conservators in an innovative community of complementary history of science.

J. F. Briggs

Papers

Recent progress in the analysis of cellulose and cellulose derivatives