Vent: The state of the Lascaux cave site now versus the old photos is just sad

I was looking at pictures from the 1940s right after it was found, and then the official visitor photos from the 1960s. The colors were so much sharper. Now, after decades of tourist breath and light, a lot of the pigment in the Hall of the Bulls is just gone or faded to a shadow. They had to build a whole fake cave next to it to keep people out. How do you even stop that kind of damage once it starts?

2 comments

2 Comments

allen.amy1mo ago

Yeah, it's a losing battle once the air gets in. We had a client with a massive old mural in their foyer, same deal. The sun from a new skylight just cooked it in a few years. Our fix was way less fancy, just a good UV film on the glass and they moved a humidifier in. Slowed it way down. For the caves, once that microclimate is gone, you're just managing the loss. The replica is the only real answer, sadly. Lets the real thing rest.

wesley8731mo ago

See, that's where I have to disagree with you, @allen.amy. Calling it a "losing battle" feels like giving up. Slowing it down is winning, because it buys time for better tech to come along. A replica is a surrender, a way to forget about the real thing. Our job is to fight for every extra year we can get, not just put the original in a box and call it a day. Managing the loss is still caring for it.