Though infrared spectroscopy is the single most powerful technique for the characterization of materials and though it is widely used in the chemical industries, its application to conservation has been severely limited due to the complexity and limited sample size of the materials presented for examination. In the past decade, the development of infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy has made possible the study of small samples and complex mixtures. The technique of infrared fourier transform spectroscopy is compared to conventional infrared spectroscopy with reference to spectra of paper, egg yolk, albumin, madder, Indian yellow, purpurin, alizarin, indigo, and linseed oil.