|
The use of multispectral imaging of the study of medieval manuscripts, maps, and other artifacts has long be known to be effective, particularly in the study of palimpsests, manuscripts on which the original writing was erased or scraped off, and the parchment was recycled for another layer of writing to be applied. Commercial solutions exist, providing very high quality imagery, however they are generally expensive, a challenge to transport, and technically difficult to operate. Under funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities we have developed a low-barrier-to-entry imaging system called MISHA: Multispectral Imaging System for the study of Historical Artifacts. The camera system is largely COTS equipment and uses two open-source software packages, one for image capture and one for image processing. The system has been intentionally designed to be used in a wide range of institutions by non-technical staff, with minimal training. To date the systems have been deployed to several libraries, archives, and museums in the US and Europe, and have imaged well over 200 artifacts. Here, we will present the basic system design and operating concept, the capture and processing software packages, and show examples across a wide range of artifacts, time periods, and materials.
|
