Recovering Ålesund fire records with multispectral imaging

The modern-day town of Ålesund seen from Fjellstua

Revealing Lost Evidence of Ålesund’s Fire With Rainbow Multispectral Imaging

In Norway’s picturesque Art Nouveau town, archivists are uncovering new details about a catastrophic fire in 1904 from copies of reports that were so faded their contents were thought to be lost forever.

The Challenge

Just days after the disaster that left the town of Ålesund in ruins, the municipal engineering office produced a report about the fire’s extent and origins.

Though the original report is still inaccessible, a copybook into which it was immediately duplicated excisable for the public. However, the words on some pages are so faint that they are illegible to the naked eye or ordinary camera. The common history of the fire has consequently been based on a later report written nineteen years after the disaster.

Now, using Phase One’s Multispectral Imaging (MSI) solution, a team has sought to uncover the lost text and read the copy of the original report, revealing more than ever before of an authoritative contemporary account.

The aftermath of the fire of 1904 showing the town’s near-complete destruction. Photo credit: Olaf Storegjerde, Fylkesfotoarkivet / IKAMR

The Catastrophic Fire of 1904

The fire started at around 2am on January 23rd, 1904, in the factory of the Aalesund Preserving Company, in the west end of the town center. Driven by high winds, the flames destroyed much of Ålesund, leaving only 230 houses within the town’s borders.

People had to be evacuated very quickly, but there was little shelter locally for the population of over 10,000. Some fled by boat, the old and sick were loaded on to wagons and carts, but most fled on foot with only what they could carry. Miraculously there was only one fatality from the fire.

The aftermath of the fire of 1904 showing the town’s near-complete destruction. Photo credit: Olaf Storegjerde, Fylkesfotoarkivet / IKAMR

The protocol Copybook for Aalesunds Stadsingeniørkontor 1903 – 04 showing one of the faded pages, with a selection of patches using multispectral imaging technology. Photo credit: Ottar A.B Anderson

Irreplaceable Primary Sources

For over a century, the story of the town’s fire has been shaped by later interpretations. A revised version of events was presented by the Head of fire department in Aalesund’s History, published in 1923, but this was nineteen years after the events.

In today’s world, source criticism is more important than ever. Access to primary sources is crucial in uncovering the truth behind historical events.

With the original fire report being produced five days after the events on the 28th of January 1904, making the copybook finally readable is of paramount importance as a historical account of the events of that fateful night and the following days.

With this aim, the intermunicipal archive based in Ålesund (IKAMR) collaborated with Phase One to apply Rainbow MSI Technology to analyze the faint writing in the original report and compare it with the version published in 1923.

The protocol Carbon copy for Aalesunds Stadsingeniørkontor 1903 – 04 showing one of the faded pages, with a selection of patches from the Phase One MSI Reference Chart. Photo credit: Ottar A.B Anderson

Eric Joakim, Senior Solutions Consultant at Phase One explaining the use of historical manuscript analysis with multispectral imaging

A Breakthrough with Rainbow MSI Technology

Each of the thin and fragile pages were carefully imaged using both the multiband and narrowband lights available for the Rainbow MSI Solution.

The Phase One Rainbow MSI system transforms multispectral imaging by making it more straightforward, accessible, and consistently repeatable. It simplifies what was once a technically demanding and cumbersome process, with a 150-megapixel solution delivering precise capture and analysis across the infrared, visible, and UV spectra.

This innovative system provides exceptional improvements for analysis, including non-invasive, contactless imaging and a versatile, modular design. Its low-energy LED lighting ensures non-destructive operation, while its user-friendly interface and precision make it an ideal starting point for more detailed, in-depth analysis.

Eric Joakim, Senior Solutions Consultant at Phase One explaining the use of different targets. Photo: Ottar A.B Anderson

From left: Keith Knox, Early Manuscript Electronic Library (EMEL), Ottar A.B Anderson, Head of Photography at SEDAK hosted by Intermunicipal archives of Møre og Romsdal (IKAMR) and Eric Joakim, Senior Solutions Consultant at Phase One.

Witnessing History Come to Life

The stacks of images resulting from the MSI process were analyzed using the built-in analysis tool in the Rainbow MSI software to finally reveal what was written in full for the first time.

The digitization of the fire report let the team interpret what the Head of fire department said about the cause of the fire at the time. He ends the fire report as follows: “Unfortunately, I cannot provide any information regarding the origin of the fire. On arrival at the scene of the fire, as I said, the factory building was ablaze, and no one from the factory could be seen.”

Head of Photography at SEDAK hosted by Intermunicipal archives of Møre og Romsdal (IKAMR) Ottar A.B. Anderson reflected on the findings, saying:

“To witness the lost text come to life after 121 years was truly remarkable – technology has allowed us to reconnect with a moment of history we thought was lost forever.”

Technological advancements have made it possible to recover a lost moment in history, highlighting how digitization can grant us access to forgotten knowledge and documents that shed light on significant events from the past.

From left: Keith Knox, Early Manuscript Electronic Library (EMEL), Ottar A.B Anderson, Head of Photography at SEDAK hosted by Intermunicipal archives of Møre og Romsdal (IKAMR) and Eric Joakim, Senior Solutions Consultant at Phase One. Photo: Anne Tømmervåg.

Insights for Researchers and Academics

Keith Knox from the Early Manuscript Electronic Library (EMEL) further analyzed the image stacks using Hoku software to ensure every character was clearly visible for the researchers and academics who were waiting to review the previously missing text and complete its transcription.

Keith Knox says: “The recovered text provides invaluable information that fills gaps in our understanding of Ålesund’s past and its rebuilding after the fire.”

Normal white light capture (left) compared to UV 385 light capture.

Normal white light capture of document restoration

Digitizing and preserving historical archives UV 385 light capture multispectral imaging

Recovering Ålesund fire records with multispectral imaging allowing Ålesund to be rebuilt in the contemporary Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) within three years, with aid from Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Today, Ålesund is perhaps the most unique Art Nouveau town in Europe.

Preserving History for the Future

This recovery marks a significant moment for historical preservation, showcasing the power of advanced imaging technology in uncovering long-lost stories, as well as the resilience and remarkable history that makes Ålesund unique.

The Phase One Rainbow MSI Solution proved its ability to reveal even the most delicate, faded text over 121 years since it was printed, reaffirming its role as a vital tool in historical preservation.

Thanks to these new imaging technologies, historians and researchers in Norway now look forward to exploring the newly recovered text and uncovering potential new insights into the Ålesund fire.

Following the fire, Ålesund was rebuilt in the contemporary Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) within three years, with aid from Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Today, Ålesund is perhaps the most unique Art Nouveau town in Europe. Photo credit: Piotr Cabaj

More About the Project

Eric Joakim hosted two half-day workshops on multispectral imaging using the Phase One Rainbow MSI Solution during an international symposium on historical manuscripts held at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Gjøvik, Norway.

You can see more about the symposium here: https://www.ntnu.edu/web/colourlab/lying-pen-of-scribes

Book of Abstracts:

https://zenodo.org/records/14500743

More About the Archive

Interkommunalt arkiv for Møre og Romsdal IKS (IKAMR) is an intermunicipal archive institution established in 2000, owned by all municipalities in Møre og Romsdal County and the county administration. Its primary purpose is to preserve and provide access to archival materials for public use, research, and administrative or cultural purposes in accordance with the Norwegian Archives Act. IKAMR host the digitization service SEDAK that serve the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) community in Møre og Romsdal County. SEDAK oversees the planning, production, metadata enhancement and quality control within imaging and publishing. Implementing new and updated imaging technologies, protocols and international standards are of vital interest to fulfil the purpose of the service.