A death

We only recently learned the sad news of the death of Peter Krause,
who was truly one of our Pioneers of Photography.

Peter Krause, age 91, died in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday,
August 25, 2010.  Born March 10, 1919, in Vienna, Austria, he came
to the United States in 1938 with his siblings to join his father,
his mother having died when Peter was quite young.  Drafted when the
US entered World War II, Peter served as a Technical Sergeant in the
US Army Air Corps Geodetic Control Squadron until the end of the
war. He spent his career in the photographic industry, beginning in
Binghamton, NY at Agfa-Ansco, Co. and then moving to Ciba, where he
became President of Ilford, USA.

Reviewing Peter's career takes us through an important era in the
history of photography.  He was the Assistant Technical Director of
Pavelle Color, Inc. in 1946 to 1954.  He then worked at Ansco in
Binghamton, NY (which later became GAF) as Manager of Quality
Control and Technical Services, then Director of Manufacturing, and
General Manager of the European Operations in 1954 to 1968. Finally,
Peter joined Ciba (later Ciba-Geigy) that acquired Ilford, Ltd. to
become President of Ilford, Inc.

He retired ten years later in 1978, although this was not the end of
his professional contributions.  After leaving Ilford, Peter became
a consultant in the photographic industry, working for all the major
manufacturers and was well known in particular for his work on color
stability and conservation.  He consulted regularly for major art
museums, periodically wrote columns for Modern Photography, and
Popular Photography, and was a founding co-editor of Photofinishing
News. His editing acumen extended to the journal, Photographic
Science and Engineering, one of the past technical journals of the
Society of Photographic Scientists and Engineers (SPSE); later, the
Society for Imaging Science & Technology (IS&T). He was also an
active member of several ANSI (American National Standards
Institute) committees as well as ISO (International Standards
Organization) working groups.

In the field of photograph conservation, he was a frequent source of
information especially with regard to color photographs.  Few people
knew more about Cibachrome/Ilfochrome materials and technology, and
chromogenic color technology than Peter.  He is well known for his
role as technical advisor when National Geographic had an outbreak
of redox blemishes among their autochrome plates in the mid-1980s.
(For more information see Krause, P. "Preservation of Autochrome
Plates in the Collection of the National Geographic Society,"
Journal of Imaging Science 29(5): 182-192 (1985).)

Peter served as an excellent source of information for conservators
over many years. His research, vast knowledge, and engaging presence
inspired many emerging conservators. In thanks and recognition for
his long relationship with and contributions to the photography
community and photograph conservation, PMG honored Peter Krause at
the 2007 Rochester joint Winter Meeting of PMG and ICOM-CC
Photographic Materials Working Group.

An avid tennis player and skier, Peter also was active in civic
life, serving on the school board of Northern Highlands Regional
High School in Allendale, NJ for many years. Peter is survived by
his wife of 53 years, Joan Krause of Clearwater, Florida, and his
four children and their spouses, and four grand-children and two
great-grand-children, as well as by nieces and nephews and their
families.  His parents and his three siblings preceded him in death.

At Peter's request, no services were held. Memorial contributions
can be made to St Jude's Children Hospital.  For those of you who
would like to send a card to his widow, Joan, know that it would be
greatly appreciated. She would treasure hearing about Peter and his
influence on so many.

    Joan Krause
    Regency Oaks Boulevard
    Apt. M202
    Clearwater, FL  33759
    joan.krause<-a t->yahoo< . >com

Deepest condolences to Joan Krause and family,

Barbara Brown,
Chair - AIC Photographic Materials Group

With contributions from Doug Nishimura, Nora Kennedy, Debbie Hess
Norris, and Joan Krause and family


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:35
                 Distributed: Friday, January 21, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-35-001
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