PRESERVATION and PROTECTION of PHOTOGRAPHS
Since the subject of Preserving and Protecting your Photographs is Vast, I will only touch on a few known important factors, mostly as a reminder. I cannot, in anyway, come close to passing along to you, the entire subject of Photographic Preservation. And since there are Many Sources on the internet for this education, I'll leave the in-depth subject to those Experts, who work hard preserving our history through photographs on a daily basis!
{for this, what they do, a Sincere Thanks}
I've included a couple of links to some Very Informative Sites.
The Basic Common Sense Educational Reminder of Photograph Preservation;
One of the Most Important things to remember, your hands are naturally oily, so before handling your old photos, it's best to wash your hands.
And as I always do, handle Only the Edges or Borders of your photographs, and Never a Direct finger to the image itself! The acid from your hands Will eventually deteriorate the surface of your images.
Because changes in temperature and humidity will swell, shrink and play havoc with Photographs, and Obviously, dampness will cause mold and mildew to flourish, and Dry heat Will Cause brittleness of paper and photographic surface.......
It's always Best to protect your photos by storing them in an air temperature controlled area, where temperature and humidity levels are kept in check. The ideal storage conditions for most photographs are a temperature of 68 F and relative humidity in the range of 30 - 40%. Best to store film-based negatives and contemporary color photographs in cooler environments of 30 - 40 F and 30 - 40% relative humidity. Relative humidity (RH), a measure of how saturated the air is with moisture. This is just as Important as temperature. A higher RH of 50 to 100% (more moisture in the air) causes paper to expand and become damp, which allows mold/mildew to grow. Adversely, a lower RH of 0 to 30%, stops chemical deterioration processes like the oxidation of silver images but also causes brittleness and shrinkage.Investment, Historical or Cherished Photographs must always be protected from further acidity, which speeds their deterioration.
Most all paper used in Old Photographs, are naturally acidic. Add to this, that, a photograph can also absorb acid from things such as your hands, the air, backing materials, matting, frames, etc.. Keep in mind, those Negatives stored in the original photo shop envelope are subjected to the same conditions, since the envelope has a High Acid Level. Besides, it's Not a good thing to have your negatives stored against each other.
Never Expose your framed or un-framed photo to Sunlight or Direct Artificial Light
Always store your photographs in a well protected environment.
If your photographs are framed, stored in boxes or albums, make sure that the materials which come in contact with them, are acid-free (neutral pH). Acid-free storage and framing products of all kinds are available. Such as the mat boards, sleeves, envelopes and storage boxes. These materials can be ordered from archival supply companies or can be found in camera and some craft stores. Non-framed photos should be stored flat in acid-free boxes using acid-free glassine sleeves. There are other techniques, but this is the least expensive.
Not all plastic is created equal.
Plastic enclosures should be made of polyester {polyethylene terephthalate} or polyethylene.
Do not use anything made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Avoid storing photographs in albums with so-called "magnetic" pages.
This is a Very Common MISTAKE!
I cannot Stress Enough, "NEVER STORE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS in a MAGNETIC ALBUM!" If you have them stored in there now, Take them Out, if you can. Not only the acid dilemma, but, after time, your images will adhere PERMANENTLY to the so called, "Magnetic" pages. Never to be removed again. A Many Great photographs were and are still being Destroyed by this common type of storage.
When framing or re-framing your photographs, of course, use Only acid-free materials. Use UV protective glass (available at framing shops) to protect the photos from dust and airborne elements. But be sure to leave a space between the glass and the surface of the photo. Usually this "space" is obtained by the use of matting. A metal frame is best to use, because it does not give off peroxides and organic vapors as wood will do. (I still prefer my period photographs framed in the original old wood frames) It is also recommended that you constantly move your photographs on display, so that each one spends some time in the dark. Some collectors make copies of the more valuable photos for display use, and they store the originals in a "safe environment".
You may want to check out the Library of Congress website on preservation
or this interesting site on notes taken in Africa
{for this, what they do, a Sincere Thanks}
I've included a couple of links to some Very Informative Sites.
The Basic Common Sense Educational Reminder of Photograph Preservation;
One of the Most Important things to remember, your hands are naturally oily, so before handling your old photos, it's best to wash your hands.
And as I always do, handle Only the Edges or Borders of your photographs, and Never a Direct finger to the image itself! The acid from your hands Will eventually deteriorate the surface of your images.
Because changes in temperature and humidity will swell, shrink and play havoc with Photographs, and Obviously, dampness will cause mold and mildew to flourish, and Dry heat Will Cause brittleness of paper and photographic surface.......
It's always Best to protect your photos by storing them in an air temperature controlled area, where temperature and humidity levels are kept in check. The ideal storage conditions for most photographs are a temperature of 68 F and relative humidity in the range of 30 - 40%. Best to store film-based negatives and contemporary color photographs in cooler environments of 30 - 40 F and 30 - 40% relative humidity. Relative humidity (RH), a measure of how saturated the air is with moisture. This is just as Important as temperature. A higher RH of 50 to 100% (more moisture in the air) causes paper to expand and become damp, which allows mold/mildew to grow. Adversely, a lower RH of 0 to 30%, stops chemical deterioration processes like the oxidation of silver images but also causes brittleness and shrinkage.Investment, Historical or Cherished Photographs must always be protected from further acidity, which speeds their deterioration.
Most all paper used in Old Photographs, are naturally acidic. Add to this, that, a photograph can also absorb acid from things such as your hands, the air, backing materials, matting, frames, etc.. Keep in mind, those Negatives stored in the original photo shop envelope are subjected to the same conditions, since the envelope has a High Acid Level. Besides, it's Not a good thing to have your negatives stored against each other.
Never Expose your framed or un-framed photo to Sunlight or Direct Artificial Light
Always store your photographs in a well protected environment.
If your photographs are framed, stored in boxes or albums, make sure that the materials which come in contact with them, are acid-free (neutral pH). Acid-free storage and framing products of all kinds are available. Such as the mat boards, sleeves, envelopes and storage boxes. These materials can be ordered from archival supply companies or can be found in camera and some craft stores. Non-framed photos should be stored flat in acid-free boxes using acid-free glassine sleeves. There are other techniques, but this is the least expensive.
Not all plastic is created equal.
Plastic enclosures should be made of polyester {polyethylene terephthalate} or polyethylene.
Do not use anything made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Avoid storing photographs in albums with so-called "magnetic" pages.
This is a Very Common MISTAKE!
I cannot Stress Enough, "NEVER STORE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS in a MAGNETIC ALBUM!" If you have them stored in there now, Take them Out, if you can. Not only the acid dilemma, but, after time, your images will adhere PERMANENTLY to the so called, "Magnetic" pages. Never to be removed again. A Many Great photographs were and are still being Destroyed by this common type of storage.
When framing or re-framing your photographs, of course, use Only acid-free materials. Use UV protective glass (available at framing shops) to protect the photos from dust and airborne elements. But be sure to leave a space between the glass and the surface of the photo. Usually this "space" is obtained by the use of matting. A metal frame is best to use, because it does not give off peroxides and organic vapors as wood will do. (I still prefer my period photographs framed in the original old wood frames) It is also recommended that you constantly move your photographs on display, so that each one spends some time in the dark. Some collectors make copies of the more valuable photos for display use, and they store the originals in a "safe environment".
You may want to check out the Library of Congress website on preservation
or this interesting site on notes taken in Africa
