I've noticed museum lighting changing over the last decade

I was at the natural history museum in Portland last weekend looking at their arrowhead collection. Compared to photos I took back in 2014 the lighting is way dimmer now. They switched to these warm LEDs that barely illuminate the display case. I get that UV damage is a concern but you can barely see the flaking patterns on the obsidian anymore. Has anyone else run into this at other museums?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_robinson5813d ago

Has it gotten so dark in there that you practically need a flashlight to see the arrowheads now?

kais6713d ago

Ngl, this is like trying to find anything in my fridge after 9pm - you just know something's in there somewhere but you're basically feeling around blind. @abby_robinson58 I've noticed this everywhere lately, like how stores dim their lights so much you can't even read the price tags without pulling out your phone flashlight. Honestly it makes me wonder if they're trying to save money on bulbs or just testing how good our eyesight really is.

charliehill13d ago

I brought a headlamp last time, worked way better than squinting.