Dr. Roger Turner will present a talk highlighting the fascinating history of cultural practices and social groups on the field of spectroscopy, the scientific study of how matter interacts with electromagnetic radiation. His talk introduces some of the hidden figures who helped make spectroscopy a powerful technique that scientists use to understand the compositions of cultural heritage objects—including paintings, textiles, archeological artifacts, photographs, contemporary art, and much, much more. Women like Clara Smith Craver created the books of chemical “fingerprints” that identify different materials, while groups of scientists learned to how to do spectroscopy through summer courses at Fisk University, a historically Black university. Surprising objects from the Science History Institute museum reveal that spectroscopists can be playful and silly, while doing work that has transformed our understanding of art and archeology. Dr. Turner is the curator of instruments and artifacts at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia.
This is the keynote lecture for the IRUG Conference taking place at Winterthur October 7–9. IRUG is a group dedicated to the use of infrared and Raman spectroscopies applied to cultural heritage. Included with admission. Members free.