Glossary · Collecting

Photographic condition baseline

Dated photographs used to document an object's visible state before later change.

Explanation

A photographic condition baseline records the views, date, scale where safely possible and visible defects before transport, treatment or a change of custody. It complements a written condition report rather than replacing it: one front view does not reveal the movement, inside of the case or concealed corrosion. Use consistent lighting, preserve original files and record subsequent versions separately. Do not polish a case or operate a fragile mechanism just to improve the photograph. Hidden surfaces should be examined only when safe and with appropriate expertise.

Diagram

Schematic: case construction. General structure only; a condition record must specify which surfaces were actually examined.

Photographic reference

Clock watch, ca. 1736–95 — Met 17.190.1447 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917, Public domain — Met API isPublicDomain flag. Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue

This museum front view documents visible appearance, not concealed corrosion, mechanism condition or service history.

Cross-references

Nearby collecting terms

Overpolished: A case whose form has been softened by repeated polishing.
Patina: Surface change accumulated through age, handling and environmental exposure.
Period correct: A part appropriate to the object's date, though not necessarily original to it.
Presentation inscription: An engraved dedication commemorating a gift or event.
Provenance: The documented history of ownership and origin of an object.
Radioluminescent paint: Self-luminous paint activated by a radioactive additive.