Following on from my previous blog posts, I’d like to demonstrate how Polynomial Texture Mapping (PTM) can overcome the difficulties of photographing lace. In particular, cream-coloured lace mounted on cream-coloured paper, is hard to photograph. The three lace designs below show how this image capture and processing technique enables the viewer to adjust the lighting to meet his or her own needs, via virtual-relighting. Lace makers and textile historians have welcomed the opportunity to adjust the lighting to see the technical features which interest them. When combined with the zoom facility, this provides a user-friendly way of studying and discussing the materials and technologies of lace. These representations of registered lace designs also demonstrate the richness of the BT Design Register as a resource for understanding the history and technology of the lace industry, particularly of Nottingham.
Viewing these images requires Java.
Click and drag on the images to redirect the lighting. Right-click for more options
[rti src=”wp-content/uploads/2013/05/BT43_432_389016_cropped_545.ptm” width=”544″ height=”581″]
BT 43/432/389016: Lace registered on 18 October 1882 by Matthew Chadbourne, of 26 St Mary’s Gate, Nottingham (UK).
[rti src=”wp-content/uploads/2013/05/BT43_432_389017_cropped_545.ptm” width=”543″ height=”336″]
BT 43/432/389017: Lace registered on 18 October 1882 by Herbert Woolley of St Mary’s Gate, Nottingham (UK).
[rti src=”wp-content/uploads/2013/05/BT43_432_389097_cropped_545.ptm” width=”545″ height=”201″]
BT 43/432/389097: Lace registered on 30 October 1882 by Herbert Woolley of St Mary’s Gate, Nottingham (UK).
Download the software
For the full experience, including the ability to zoom, you can download the RTI Viewer software, available from culturalheritageimaging.org, then explore the original high-resolution files by right-clicking this link, saving the image to your desktop, and opening it in the RTI Viewer: Lace examples (40Mb).