The
Library of Congress and the National Archives among other organizations have
great information on line about the preservation of photographs both digital
and physical. I’m going to add my
two cents, but I urge you to check out the web pages listed below. They will provide answers to all of your
questions.
Success
in preserving photographs depends on two factors: (1) the stability of the
original materials used – the film, processing, and print paper – and (2) storage
conditions. Black and white
negatives and photographs are very stable and will last a long time, over a hundred years if cared
for properly. Color slides are also very stable (10-50 years). Newer color images using 1990s
processing and films are more stable then they were in the past, but still will
fade over time. The best book on
the preservation of photographs is by Henry Wilhelm and Carol Brower and is
entitled The Permanence and Care of Color
Photographs. A free pdf of the
book is available at http://wilhelm-research.com/book_toc.html. Check it out. They tested color films and processing and discuss the
preservation problems of primarily color photographs.
Most black and white photographs will be in better condition than any of your older color ones regardless of the care you have given them. Most of the processes, film and papers
used particularly in the fifties, sixties, and seventies for color photographs, were
inherently unstable. Pictures have
yellow staining or purplish (magenta tones), and some are blue. None of this fading and discoloration
is your fault. Blame it on Kodak Ektachrome
film and RC (non-fiber papers). Professional
photographs taken during the period are often the most deteriorated. It wasn’t the photographer’s
fault. It was the products he or
she used. There’s not much that you
can do. My recommendation is to
scan the pictures you like and if you want to balance the color use Photoshop
software.
Generally
photographs should be kept in the dark, in cool, dry places. Placing the material (negatives, slides,
or prints) in inert sleeves will protect them from improper handling and will
keep them from sticking together if there is any moisture between them. At Texas Tech we used refrigeration
units (fancy refreigerators and freezers) set below freezing to preserve slides and negatives. Before using any we would slowly allow the material to warm to room temperature over several hours. With
the advent of scanning technology favorite negatives and slides can be
digitized to provide another avenue of preservation. I wouldn’t throw away the original because the longevity of
digital materials as we said before is so dependent on rapidly changing
technology so who knows how long that photograph will be accessible. If you
want to display a photograph, make a copy and keep the original in proper
storage. Photographs should be
matted using acid-free mat board.
Never should a photograph directly touch glass. If there is any moisture, it could
stick. UV filtered glass is best. Costs a little more though. Display the photograph away
from direct sunlight and ideally rest it every so often by not displaying it
for awhile.
Don’t
forget to label your material. For
photographs, as I said, use either graphite pencil, a No.2 pencil, or a special India ink
pen. Be careful ink and the graphite pencil can
smudge especially on RC paper prints.
Slides can be labeled on the slide cover. Negatives can be marked with the India ink marking pen on
the chemically inert sleeves. Some museums will not mark directly on the back
of the picture, but instead label the sleeve or housing folder. A label insures that your descendents
know about the people in the photograph.
There are lots and lots of web pages about
photographs. Here are a few.
http://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/captioning-photos.html (labeling photographs. Says what I said
only better)
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