Before and After: World War I–era panoramic photo undergoes conservation before exhibition

The Ransom Center’s exhibition The World at War, 1914–1918 features a panoramic group portrait of the 103^rd Aero Squadron (Lafayette Escadrille), the first U.S. aviation pursuit squadron in combat in France during World War I.

The photograph was sent to the Ransom Center’s conservation lab because it was tightly rolled, making it brittle and fragile.  Previous attempts to unroll the paper had left one corner almost detached.  The only clue as to its contents was a handwritten inscription on the roll’s outermost edge. 

Image: Eugene O. Goldbeck. Panoramic portrait of the 103^rd Aero Squadron (Lafayette Escadrille). ca. 1919.