Bolton AES Lecture - Current Trends in Heritage Imaging
17th February 2026 - 7.30 pm
Speaker:
Tony Richards - The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester
Not long after the Library opened in 1900 a new photography studio was set up at John Rylands to make the collection more accessible for people who weren’t based in, or near Manchester. This was set up in what was known as the French Revolution Room at the Library and stayed there until the team moved to a larger and much more suitable space about 12 years ago.
The Imaging Team at John Rylands Research Institute and Library (JRRIL) have been pioneers and used state-of-the-art imaging methods since the early days and Tony took us through some of the different imaging methods that they use, with examples of what each one is useful for. Here’s a summary:
Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI)
This method takes multiple images, with the light rotating around the specimen from varying angles. The images are combined and can reveal hidden features in an object. This was the case when researchers at JRRIL discovered a hidden watermark on the St Christopher Woodcut print.
Photometric Stereo System Imaging (PSI)
Like RTI, this is a powerful tool for revealing surface textures and three dimensional surface renders. It can enable the creation of depth maps of surfaces, such as engravings, and can even help the researcher to draw conclusions about what tools have been used.
3D Imaging Photogrammetry
In this method the camera (sometimes many cameras) and lighting remain in the same position and it’s the object being scanned that is rotated. The many overlapping images are processed and combined to generate a 3D model of the object (usually by additive manufacturing, aka ‘3D printing’). This can then be used to create a physical reproduction of the object.
Structured Light Scanning
This method is similar to the above but it uses a hand-held scanner and is therefore much faster. It can also be used to scan much larger object, in-situ, like statues.
3D imaging with physical modelling can be used to rebuild a sample that is too fragile to handle so that it can be studied more closely.
These methods can also create virtual models that can be explored using VI headsets. However, 3D imaging and printing is perhaps not such a new thing, with a technique known as Photosculpture being invented, by François Willème in 1859.  There is a British Pathe film of photographer Marcus Adams creating a sculpture using photosculpture on YouTube (Photo Sculpture (1939)).
Multispectral Imaging
This method uses light outside the visible spectrum, typically UV. John Guppy was a pioneer in this technique back in the 1920s at the Library and it continues to be used at JRRIL to this day.
Multispectral imaging (MSI) is very useful in reading palimpsests. These are parchments or papers with several layers of writing on them. Parchment was often reused because of its value and earlier writings and images could be ‘buried’ below later work.
Images of the Icelandic manuscript, MS5 Jónsbók (Icelandic MS 5 | Handrit.is), created from different wavelengths of light revealed up to five layers of text in places.
MSI can also be used for photospectral analysis and identification of the pigments used in manuscripts.
X-rays
They don’t have an x-ray generator at JRRIL. However, they have collaborated with the National X-ray Computed Tomography Laboratory facility at the University. This lab can produce high powered x-rays that can penetrate and create images from inside objects.
An exciting example of this was the investigation of Gaster Amulet 34, which was found to contain a tiny, rolled up parchment. Several Hebrew characters could actually be made out, on the parchment, sealed inside the amulet, in the images produced (Rylands BlogX-Ray Tomography of Gaster Amulet 34).
An Alternative to Beta Radiography
Tony made his own innovations in imagery, when he developed a method to find hidden watermarks. He used a standard camera with two filters to generate refraction between light transmitted through an object and the light reflected from its surface.
Tony later discovered a similar method (using refracted UV light), published by R B Haselden in 1935. It was still an impressive bit of invention by Tony!
And Finally, Photography
At the end of the presentation, Tony admitted that it was ‘low tech’ photography that he personally enjoyed the most, being more reliable and less hard work, according to Tony!
About the speaker
Tony Richards is Senior Photographer at The John Rylands Research Institute and Library (JRRIL), at the University of Manchester. He is also the lead on advanced imaging methods at JRRIL.Â
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