What if a photograph could be developed within a piece of glass?
This week, we're celebrating our newly opened exhibition, "This is what it looks like: Robert Harmon, Jr. and Experimental Images on Glass," with a look at the remarkable material at the heart of Harmon's work.
In the 1940s and 1950s, pioneering research by scientist Donald Stookey at Corning Glass Works led to the development of a remarkable family of photosensitive glasses including Foto-Lite. Developed with commercial and industrial applications in mind, this glass would later offer unexpected possibilities for artistic expression.
What made Foto-Lite glass so unusual was its chemical composition, which included tiny amounts of silver. Exposure to ultraviolet light through a photographic negative triggered a chemical reaction within the glass. When the glass was heated, microscopic sodium fluoride crystals grew around tiny particles of silver in the exposed areas. These crystals scatter light, creating a milky white image within the otherwise transparent glass. The result is a photograph that isn't printed on the glass but is actually part of the glass itself.
Decades later, while working in a glass shop on Cape Cod, local artist Robert Harmon, Jr. (1961–2014) came across some Foto-Lite and began exploring its artistic possibilities.
Experimenting with photographic images, text, color, and patterns, Harmon created works that range from representations of animals and landscapes to striking compositions featuring the human figure. He was particularly drawn to mirroring and repeating figures, creating rhythmic patterns and unexpected symmetries.
What began as an experiment in glass technology became the foundation for a deeply personal artistic practice. Harmon’s work invites us to consider the relationship between technological innovation and artistic imagination—a relationship that has shaped the history of glassmaking for centuries.
Come discover the unexpected possibilities of glass and photography in Robert Harmon's work at the Sandwich Glass Museum!
"This is what it looks like: Robert Harmon, Jr. and Experimental Images on Glass" is on view through May 2, 2027.
Robert Harmon, Jr.
when into the before again, 2011
Corning Foto-Lite glass, stained glass, wood frame with metal retainers
