Join the Harvard Plate Stacks for a presentation and walkthrough of Paperbase, a groundbreaking public database developed by Yale’s Lens Media Lab. Damon Crockett, Senior AI Engineer at the Lab, will share the story behind its creation and demonstrate how scholars and researchers can use it.
Paperbase provides access to over 7,500 historic examples of analog photographic paper, drawn from the world’s most extensive collection compiled by photo conservator Paul Messier, Pritzker Director of the Lens Media Lab. The database allows users to explore samples using four standardized metrics—thickness, gloss, roughness, and warmth—to help identify manufacturers, production dates, materials, and factory origins of photographic prints.
Whether you're a historian, conservator, photographer, or simply curious, this dynamic tool makes complex data accessible and practical for research and discovery.
Learn how Paperbase can support your work and open new avenues in photographic scholarship.
LOCATION:Pratt Conference Room, Perkins Building, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20250429T150000Z DTEND:20250429T154500Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR