# Flash photography in museums

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-photography-in-museums/219083>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [December 15, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-photography-in-museums/219083 "2003-12-15T07:36:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chickenricken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@chickenricken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickenricken)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-photography-in-museums/219083/1 "2003-12-15T07:36:44Z")

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[Mailbag question re: flash photography in museums.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mflashphoto.html)

Dear Fellow non-lethal Dopers:

About the column above:

Okay. I can believe that flash photography causes a chemical reaction in the cellulose found in paintings, one of the byproducts of which is sulfuric acid that helps eat away at the medium.

But isn’t it just a _little_ likely that not wanting mass reproduction of famous paintings is part of the reason? I’m thinking in particular of the Van Goh museum in Holland, where no kind of photography is allowed at all.

Does anybody know anything about this? Let’s have some fun!

Humble Regards,  
Ricardo

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-photography-in-museums/219083/2 "2003-12-15T13:10:28Z")

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Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, **chicken** , glad to have you with us.

FYI, this has been discussed earlier: [“Why isn’t flash photography allowed in museums?”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=213832)