Lighting a vitrine without roasting the ink

Playing card ink is tougher than watercolour paper yet thinner than poster stock. Under harsh LEDs, cyan shifts toward teal within months, which is fine for supermarket staples but cruel to a 1920s travel tuck. We keep lux between two hundred and two hundred fifty for general viewing, dropping lower for fluorescent originals.

Fibre optic wands let us rake light across embossing without baking the interior. Visitors notice the shimmer trail following their steps, which is intentional: motion helps eyes forgive lower overall brightness. We log humidity at the door and refuse same-day installation deliveries that might fog glass.

Halogen still lives in one corridor because its warmth flatters vermillion backs without lying about edge wear. Mixed spectra sounds messy, yet decks never lived under single-source daylight either. Our compromise keeps colour truthful while acknowledging that museums are feelings as much as facts.